The synthesis and photophysical studies of cyclometalated Pt( ii ) complexes with C,N,N-ligands containing imidazolyl donors

Two new C,N,N-type ligands (HL(2) and HL(3)), containing a C(phenyl), a N(pyridyl), and a N(imidazolyl) donor, and their cycloplatinated complexes, [Pt(L(2))Cl] (1), [Pt(L(3))Cl] (2), [Pt(L(2))(PPh(3))](+) (3) and [Pt(L(3))(PPh(3))](+) (4), have been successfully synthesized and characterized. Spectroscopic and (3)MLCT luminescent properties of these Pt(II) cyclometalated complexes were found to be pH dependent. This was attributed to the protonation/deprotonation of the acidic 1-imidazolyl-NH moieties on the ligands. All the cycloplatinated complexes (both protonated and deprotonated forms) possessed two-photon excitability with two-photon absorption cross-sections ranging from 6.0 to 30.0 GM (protonated forms) and from 16.2 to 24.9 GM (deprotonated forms).