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Updated: Jan 6, 2026

A Novel Technique for Generating and Observing Chemiluminescence in a Biological Setting
Published on: March 9, 2017
Luminescence and Light-Driven Energy and Electron Transfer from an Exceptionally Long-Lived Excited State of a
Steffen Treiling1, Cui Wang2,3, Christoph Förster1
1Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
Photoactive metal complexes employing Earth-abundant metal ions are a key to sustainable photophysical and photochemical applications. We exploit the effects of an inversion center and ligand non-innocence to tune the luminescence and photochemistry of the excited state of the [CrN6 ] chromophore [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ with close to octahedral symmetry (tpe=1,1,1-tris(pyrid-2-yl)ethane). [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ exhibits the longest luminescence lifetime (τ=4500 μs) reported up to date for a molecular polypyridyl chromium(III) complex together with a very high luminescence quantum yield of Φ=8.2 % at room temperature in fluid solution. Furthermore, the tpe ligands in [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ are redox non-innocent, leading to reversible reductive chemistry. The excited state redox potential and lifetime of [Cr(tpe)2 ]3+ surpass those of the classical photosensitizer [Ru(bpy)3 ]2+ (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) enabling energy transfer (to oxygen) and photoredox processes (with azulene and tri(n-butyl)amine).
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