Spectroscopy and electrochemical properties of a homologous series of acetylacetonato and hexafluoroacetylacetonato cyclopalladated and cycloplatinated complexes

Abstract

A photophysical, electrochemical and computational study has been performed on a homologous series of cyclometallated Pd(II) (1a–f) and Pt(II) (2a–f) complexes of general formula [(C,N)M(O,O)]; (H(C,N) = azobenzene, 2-phenylpyridine, benzo[h]quinoline; M = Pd, Pt; H(O,O) = acetylacetone, hexafluoroacetylacetone). Experimental and computational data have shown the strong influence exerted by electronegativity of the ancillary ligand on the frontier orbitals of the complexes, such an effect being enhanced for the Pt(II) species.