Giorgio Volpi

Cationic Heteroleptic Cyclometalated Iridium Complexes with 1‐Pyridylimidazo[1,5‐α]pyridine Ligands: Exploitation of an Efficient Intersystem Crossing

Luminescent ligands in Ir(III) cyclometalated complexes. The photophysical and photochemical properties of Ir-cyclometalated complexes containing luminescent ligands are evaluated (see figure). Significant admixture between Ir and ligand orbitals induces an efficient intersystem crossing. Photochemical reactions performed in the presence of oxygen lead to new Ir-cyclometalated complexes containing N(amido) groups directly bound to Ir.A series of phosphorescent cyclometalated heteroleptic iridi um(III) phenylpyridinato (ppy) complexes containing luminescent 1-pyridylimidazo[1,5-alpha]pyridine (pip) ligands, namely [Ir(ppy)(2)(pip)](+), have been synthesised, characterised and their electrochemical, photophysical and electronic properties studied. Seven X-ray structures have been resolved. Excitation of [Ir(ppy)(2)(pip)](+) in acetonitrile at room temperature results in a dual luminescence, strongly quenched by O(2). Four complexes show, in absence of O(2), a high-energy emission (assigned to a (3)MLLCT transition) with two maxima in the blue region of the visible spectra, and a second structured emission (assigned largely to a (3)LC pi-pi* transition) centred around lambda=555 nm. Lifetimes of high-energy emissions are between 0.6 and 1.3 mus. Time-dependent density functional calculations combined with the conductor-like polarisable continuum model method, with acetonitrile as solvent, have been used to calculate a series of ground and excited states of the derivatives under investigation, and the transitions compared with the experimental UV/Vis absorption spectra. A quick and efficient photochemical reaction has been observed for these iridium derivatives that leads to the formation of a new class of cyclometalated iridium complexes containing a stable deprotonated amide unusually coordinated to the metal through a nitrogen bond. The synthesis of a (15)N enriched selected ligand has been performed to investigate, by means of NMR, the particular facile route to these new set of derivatives. The electrochemical behaviour of all complexes is also reported.

Photophysics of Singlet and Triplet Intraligand Excited States in [ReCl(CO)3(1-(2-pyridyl)-imidazo[1,5-α]pyridine)] Complexes

Excited-state characters and dynamics of [ReCl(CO)3(3-R-1-(2-pyridyl)-imidazo[1,5-α]pyridine)] complexes (abbreviated ReGV-R, R = CH3, Ph, PhBu(t), PhCF3, PhNO2, PhNMe2) were investigated by pico- and nanosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy (TRIR) and excited-state DFT and TD-DFT calculations. Near UV excitation populates the lowest singlet state S1 that undergoes picosecond intersystem crossing (ISC) to the lowest triplet T1. Both states are initially formed hot and relax with ∼20 ps lifetime. TRIR together with quantum chemical calculations reveal that S1 is predominantly a ππ* state localized at the 1-(2-pyridyl)-imidazo[1,5-α]pyridine (= impy) ligand core, with impy → PhNO2 and PhNMe2 → impy intraligand charge-transfer contributions in the case of ReGV-PhNO2 and ReGV-PhNMe2, respectively. T1 is predominantly ππ*(impy) in all cases. It follows that excited singlet and corresponding triplet states have to some extent different characters and structures even if originating nominally from the same preponderant one-electron excitations. ISC occurs with a solvent-independent (CH2Cl2, MeCN) 20-30 ps lifetime, except for ReGV-PhNMe2 (10 ps in CH2Cl2, 100 ps in MeCN). ISC is 200-300 times slower than in analogous complexes with low-lying MLCT states. This difference is interpreted in terms of spin-orbit interaction and characters of orbitals involved in one-electron excitations that give rise to S1 and T1 states. ReGV-R present a unique case of octahedral heavy-metal complexes where the S1 lifetime is long enough to allow for separate spectroscopic characterization of singlet and triplet excited states. This study provides an insight into dynamics and intersystem crossing pathways of low-lying singlet and triplet excited states localized at bidentate ligands bound directly to a heavy metal atom. Rather long (1)IL lifetimes indicate the possibility of photonic applications of singlet excited states.

Facile synthesis of novel blue light and large Stoke shift emitting tetradentate polyazines based on imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine – Part 2

A series of new imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines was obtained through a facile multiple condensation procedure, involving the reaction of two methanamine and several largely available and inexpensive diand tricarboxylic acids. Such poliazine products show different and tuneable coordination motifs suitable for mono-, di-, and tritopic coordination sites. Furthermore they display interesting optical properties: tuneable luminescence, significant quantum yields, large Stokes’ shifts and strong halochromic effects, enabling their technological application.

Peptide-based affinity media for solid-phase extraction of Ochratoxin A from wine samples: Effect of the solid support on binding properties

A suitable sample clean up is a key point in the development of an analytical method. Peptide-based affinity media have recently gained attention in the selective extraction of defined target analytes from complex samples. In this paper we investigated the thermodynamic and kinetic binding properties of different stationary phases (Amberlite IRC-50, Lewatit CNP105, Toyopearl CM-650 M, porous silica gel beads and micrometric glass beads) functionalized with a hexapeptide sequence binding the Ochratoxin A. The highest values of the equilibrium binding constant (Keq) and binding site concentration (Bmax) were obtained for Lewatit CNP105 (Keq: 98.1×10(6) M(-1), Bmax: 30.8 μmol/g), followed by Toyopearl and micrometric glass beads, whereas the worst performances were obtained with Amberlite IRC-50 and porous silica gel beads. Also kinetic performances show the same trend. These results highlight that the surface chemical nature has a key role in the binding properties of solid supports used as affinity media for the selective extraction of well-defined target molecules. Finally, Lewatit CNP105 was compared with Amberlite IRC-50 as solid support in SPE extraction of OTA from 14 wine samples fortified with OTA at 2 and 4 μg l(-1) levels. The extracts were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection (λexc 333 nm, λem 460 nm) showing no significant matrix effects, with a LOD and LOQ of 0.45 and 1.5 μgl(-1), respectively, and good recoveries between 71% and 108% for Amberlite IRC-50 and 91% and 101% for Lewatit CNP105. While both supports showed a statistically comparable extraction accuracy, a statistically significant difference was found in terms of extraction precision, confirming that the solid phase based on Lewatit CNP105 performs better than the solid phase based on Amberlite IRC-50.

Natural aldehyde extraction and direct preparation of new blue light-emitting imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine fluorophores

Abstract This work describes the extraction of natural aldehydes and the use of extracts to synthesise new fluorescent imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine derivatives. The characterisation of the extracted aldehydes by different techniques and the optical study of the fluorescent products allow the design of new compounds suitable for pharmaceutical, down-shifting, microscopy and electronic applications. The fluorophores are generated by an easy one-pot cyclisation reaction in mild conditions without catalyst and with only water as by-product.