Modulation of the lowest metal-to-ligand charge-transfer state in [Ru(bpy)2(N-N)]2+ systems by changing the N-N from hydrazone to azine:: Photophysical consequences

Two Ru( II) complexes, [ Ru( bpy) L-2]( ClO4) 2 ( 1) and [ Ru( bpy)(2)L']( BF4) 2 ( 2), where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, L is diacetyl dihydrazone, and L' 1: 2 is the condensate of L and acetone, are synthesized. From X-ray crystal structures, both are found to contain distorted octahedral RuN62+ cores. NMR spectra show that the cations in 1 and 2 possess a C-2 axis in solution. They display the expected metal-to-ligand charge transfer ( (MLCT)-M-1) band in the 400 - 500 nm region. Complex 1 is nonemissive at room temperature in solution as well as at 80 K. In contrast, complex 2 gives rise to an appreciable emission upon excitation at 440 nm. The room-temperature emission is centered at 730 nm ( lambda(max)(em)) with a quantum yield ( em) of 0.002 and a lifetime ( tau(em)) of 42 ns in an air-equilibrated methanol - ethanol solution. At 80 K, Phi(em) = 0.007 and tau(em)= 178 ns, with a lambda(max)(em) of 690 nm, which is close to the 0 - 0 transition, indicating an (MLCT)-M-3 excited-state energy of 1.80 eV. The radiative rate constant ( 5 x 10(4) s(-1)) at room temperature and 80 K is almost temperature independent. From spectroelectrochemistry, it is found that bpy is easiest to reduce in 2 and that L is easiest in 1. The implications of this are that in 2 the lowest (MLCT)-M-3 state is localized on a bpy ligand and in 1 it is localized on L. Transient absorption results also support these assignments. As a consequence, even though 2 shows a fairly strong and long-lived emission from a Ru( II) -> bpy CT state, the Ru( II) -> L CT state in 1 shows no detectable emission even at 80 K.