Aggregation in methanol and formation of molecular glasses for europium(III) N-acylaminocarboxylates: effects of alkyl chain length and head group.

Europium(III) complexes of N-acyl-DL-alaninates (acyl=acetyl, butanoyl, hexanoyl, octanoyl, decanoyl, dodecanoyl and tetradecanoyl), N-octanoyl-DL-phenylalaninate, and N-octanoyl-L-serinate were prepared to understand the effects of alkyl chain length and the type of head group on the formation of glassy states and on the aggregation behaviour in solutions. The acylalaninate complexes had a tendency to form a transparent glass, whereas Eu(ala)3 (ala=DL-alaninate) was easily crystallized. Of the C2(acetyl)-C14(tetradecanoyl) chains in the ligands, the C4-C8 chains were the most favourable to assume a stable glassy state by solvent vaporization.