New Adventures in Osmium and Ruthenium Bipyridyl Chemistry
Elise G. Megehee and Richard J. Rosso, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry
Abstract: Ruthenium complexes are well known for their use in technologies that involve the absorption of light, such as solar cells, photoactive catalysts, and sensors. We are attempting to synthesize a new class of luminescent ruthenium complexes and study their photo-luminescent properties. N-heterocyclic carbene ligands have become universal ligands in organometallic and inorganic chemistry due to their specific coordination chemistry. They are able to stabilize and activate metal centers, however, their photophysical and photochemical properties have yet to be extensively studied. While the electronic spectrum of [Ru(bpy)3](PF6)2 is well known, to date there are no known studies on ruthenium complexes containing N-heterocyclic biscarbene ligands. We have successfully synthesize and characterized a series of [Ru(bpy)n(dmmbi)3-n](PF6)2 complexes where n = 0,1, 2; bpy = 2.2-bipyridine; dmmbi = 3,3’-dimethyl-1,1- methyenebisimidazolium biscarbene. We will discuss the synthesis and characterization of these new mixed ligand complexes to determine how these ligands effect the electronic states and ultimately if the N-heterocyclic biscarbene ligand can absorb and emit light in the visible region.