Luminescence studies on substituted niobocene ketene complexes: evidence for thermally activated excited-state processes involving arene torsion

Abstract

Photophysical studies on the η²-C,O bound nibocene ketene complexes [Nb(η⁵-C₅H₄SiMe₃)₂(H)(OCCRR′)](R = R′= Ph 1, R = Me, R′= Ph 2) provide evidence for solution luminescence and temperature-dependent decay rates; the failure of 2 to exhibit photochemical E–Z isomerization is consistent with the operation of arene torsional modes in the thermal decay processes.