Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

A Novel Technique for Generating and Observing Chemiluminescence in a Biological Setting
Published on: March 9, 2017
Luminescent heterometallic gold-copper alkynyl complexes stabilized by tridentate phosphine
Julia R Shakirova1, Elena V Grachova, Vladislav V Gurzhiy
1St.-Petersburg State University, Department of Chemistry, St.-Petersburg, Russia.
Abstract:
The reactions between trinuclear gold complex tppmAu(3)Cl(3) (tppm = tris(diphenylphosphino)methane), arylacetylenes HC(2)C(6)H(4)X and Cu(+) under basic conditions result in formation of the heterometallic complexes [tppm(AuC(2)C(6)H(4)X)(3)Cu](+), X = H (1), COOMe (2), CN (3), OMe (4), NH(2) (5). These compounds belong to one structural motif and consist of the heterometallic {(AuC(2)C(6)H(4)X)(3)Cu} core stabilized by the tridentate phosphine. Compounds 1-5 were characterized by polynuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy, ESI-MS and single-crystal X-ray analysis. Luminescence properties of these complexes have been studied and revealed a substantial red shift of the emission maxima with the increase in the electron donicity of the alkynyl ligands substituents in the 550-680 nm range. The theoretical calculations of the electronic structures showed that variations of the substituents on the alkynyl ligands display very little effect on the molecular structural parameters but show appreciable influence on the orbital energies and luminescence characteristics of the compounds under study.
Related Concept Videos
Complexation Equilibria: Factors Influencing Stability of Complexes
Photoluminescence: Applications
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Complexometric Titration: Ligands

