Enantiopure, luminescent, cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene-naphthalimide chromophore: design, vibrational circular dichroism and TD-DFT calculations.

A series of chiral cyclometalated iridium complexes of the type [Ir(C^N)(C^C:)], {(C^N) = ppy (2); dfppy (3)} featuring a naphthalimide N-heterocyclic carbene ligand (C^C:) = (Naphthalimide-NHC) are described and fully characterized. The racemic complexes -2 and -3 were resolved chiral column chromatography techniques into their corresponding enantiopure species -2, -2, -3, -3 as confirmed by their CD curves. This unique class of molecules containing organic and inorganic chromophores might be used as a platform to probe the stereochemical effect on the photophysical properties.