Synthesis of heteroleptic anthryl-substituted beta-ketoenolates of rhodium(III) and iridium(III): photophysical, electrochemical, and EPR study of the fluorophore-metal interaction.

The anthryl-substituted rhodium(III) and iridium(III) heteroleptic beta-ketoenolato derivatives of general formula [M(acac)(2)(anCOacac)] [acac = pentane-2,4-dionate; anCOacac = 3-(9-anthroyl)pentane-2,4-dionate], 3 (M = Rh) and 4 (M = Ir), and [M(acac)(2)(anCH(2)acac)] [anCH(2)acac = 3-(9-anthrylmethyl)pentane-2,4-dionate], 5 (M = Rh) and 6 (M = Ir), were prepared by reacting the corresponding tris(pentane-2,4-dionate)metal complexes, [M(acac)(3)], with 9-anthroyl chloride and 9-chloromethylanthracene, respectively, under Friedel-Crafts conditions. 3-6 were characterized by elemental analysis, ion spray mass spectrometry (IS-MS), (1)H NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The structure of 3 was also elucidated by single-crystal X-ray analysis.

A [4 pi+4 pi] intramolecular photocyclomer of 9-anthroic anhydride: 5,6,11,12-tetrahydro-5,12;6,11-di-o-benzenodibenzo[a,e]cyclooctene-5,6-dicarboxylic anhydride.

The title compound, C(30)H(18)O(3), was obtained by light irradiation of a dichloroethane solution of 9-anthroyl chloride and 9-anthroic acid. The molecules, which possess approximately mm2 local symmetry, are packed in columns, the oxygenated moieties facing each other according to the symmetry of a monoclinic lattice. The space group of the crystal is P2(1)/c, with a whole molecule as the asymmetric unit.