A Red-Emitting Luminescent Material Capable of Detecting Low Water Content in Organic Solvents

A new red-emitting luminescent material was prepared from a gel formed by simply mixing EuCl3 ⋅6 H2 O and 4'-para-phenylcarboxyl-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (Hcptpy) in a molar ratio of 1:2 in anhydrous ethanol at room temperature. It shows bright red luminescence dominated by the (5) D0 →(7) F2 transition of Eu(3+) , a long lifetime (1.16 ms), a high absolute quantum yield (48.2 %), and good thermostability (stable up to 500 °C). In addition, the luminescence of the material can be easily quenched by contact with water, which makes it suitable for detecting low contents of water (0.1-1.5 vol %) in common organic solvents such as diethyl ether and THF.