Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array
Published on: October 8, 2016
Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of T-Shaped Coinage-Metal Complexes
George Kleinhans1,2, Alan K-W Chan3, Ming-Yi Leung3
1Chemistry Department, University of Pretoria, Private X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa.
This study explores T-shaped coinage metal complexes with a CNC pincer ligand, revealing new silver and gold complexes with tunable photophysical properties. The gold complexes exhibit green emissions, with linear gold(I) showing enhanced phosphorescence.
Area of Science:
- Coordination Chemistry
- Photophysics
- Organometallic Chemistry
Background:
- T-shaped coinage metal complexes are of interest for their unique electronic and photophysical properties.
- Pincer ligands, such as bis(mesoionic carbene)carbazolide (CNC), offer robust coordination environments for metal centers.
- Exploring d10 metal complexes (Cu, Ag, Au) with CNC ligands can lead to novel materials with tailored luminescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a series of T-shaped coinage d10 metal complexes supported by a CNC pincer ligand.
- To investigate the photophysical properties, including fluorescence and phosphorescence, of these new complexes.
- To explore post-complexation modifications of gold complexes to access different geometries and oxidation states.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of T-shaped Cu(I), Ag(I), and Au(I) complexes with a CNC pincer ligand.
- Characterization of the complexes using spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques.
- Photophysical measurements (emission spectra, quantum yields, decay lifetimes) under varying temperatures.
Main Results:
- A rare tridentate T-shaped Ag(I) complex was successfully synthesized.
- Post-complexation modification yielded a linear cationic Au(I) complex and a square planar cationic Au(III)-F complex.
- Emissions ranged from blue (Cu(I)) to orange (Ag(I)), with green emissions observed for all three gold complexes.
- The linear Au(I) complex exhibited a higher quantum yield and longer decay lifetime, indicating greater phosphorescence.
Conclusions:
- The CNC pincer ligand effectively supports T-shaped geometries in coinage metal complexes.
- The synthesized complexes display diverse photoluminescent properties, tunable by metal choice and complex structure.
- Post-complexation modifications offer a pathway to access complexes with distinct geometries and oxidation states, further expanding their potential applications.
More Related Videos
12:43The Synthesis of [Sn10SiSiMe334]2- Using a Metastable SnI Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique
Published on: November 28, 2016
10:21Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Related Concept Videos
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...
Valence Bond Theory
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can...
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
Formation of Complex Ions