O Generating Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes with 1,8-Naphthalimide-Based Sensitizers.

Lanthanide ion (Ln) complexes with two new 1,8-naphthalimide-based ligands, and , were isolated, and their photophysical properties were explored. Upon excitation at 335 nm, and sensitize visible and near-infrared emitting Ln ions (Ln = Eu, Nd, and Yb) and generate singlet oxygen (O). The quantum yields of Eu luminescence for [Eu()] and [Eu()] are 16.7% and 8.3%, respectively, with O generation efficiencies of 41% and 59%, respectively. The efficiencies of O generation for the NIR emitting complexes [Ln()] are 59% and 56%, respectively, and those for [Ln()] (Ln = Nd, Yb) are 64% and 61%, respectively. In an oxygen-free environment, the quantum yields of Eu luminescence for [Eu()] and [Eu()] increase to 20% and 18%, respectively.