Synthesis and photophysical properties of multinuclear zinc-salophen complexes: enhancement of fluorescence by fluorene termini

Abstract

Incorporation of fluorene groups into the salicylidene moiety significantly enhances the luminescence of a number of multinuclear alkynylated Zn(II)-salophen complexes. Preparation of these complexes was achieved by a synthetic strategy with facile handling of the reactants, simple purification of the products, and one-pot reaction process. Two synthetic methods are used for the preparation of different types of multinuclear salophen complexes. The introduction of a bis- or a tris-salicylaldehyde as a bridging unit in the presence of various alkynyl substituted monoimines in the reaction mixture containing zinc acetate resulted in the preparation of di- and tri-nuclear Zn(II)-salophen complexes of type 1, respectively. For a different type, treatment of tetraminobenzene with various arylethynyl-substituted salicylaldehyde afforded dinuclear Zn(II) alkynylated salophen complexes of type 2 with a different structure. The photophysical behaviors of these multinuclear metal salophen complexes were investigated. Particularly, the dinuclear complex 9b of type 1 having ethynylfluorene groups in salophen moieties and dialkoxyl groups in the bridging moiety exhibits higher quantum efficiency than that of other complexes in this report. In addition, the bis-Zn(II) alkynylated salophen complex 11e bearing nitrogen donor groups displays more red-shifted pattern than those with other functional substituents both in absorption and emission spectra.