Synthesis, crystal structure and photophysical study of luminescent three-coordinate cuprous bromide complexes based on pyrazole derivatives

Abstract

The 1 : 2 M-ratio reaction between cuprous bromide and pyrazole derivatives in toluene results in mononuclear Cu(I) complexes [CuBr(pyrazole)2]. The complexes have been characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The molecular structure, established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, features a trigonal planar geometry around copper, with monodentate pyrazole derivatives. All the Cu(I) complexes are luminescent in the solid state at ambient temperature. Intense blue or blue-green emission in the solid state is observed for these complexes, with the maxima ranging from 431 to 493 nm. The observed photoluminescence could be ascribed to the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited states, probably mixed with some halide-to-ligand character. The microsecond lifetime scale of the complexes implies that these transitions arise from the triplet excited states.