An improved preparation of 8-amino-7-quinolinecarbaldehyde has been developed. The methyl group of 7-methyl-8-nitroquinoline may be oxidized to an aldehyde by treatment first with dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal followed by sodium periodate. Reduction with iron provides the amino aldehyde. An analogous sequence affords 1-amino-2-naphthalenecarbaldehyde. Friedländer condensation of the quinoline derivative with a series of acetylaromatics provides the corresponding 2-aryl-1,10-phenanthrolines. Condensation of either amino aldehyde with 1,3-diacetylbenzene or 2,6-diacetylpyridine provides the expected Friedländer product. Similar chemistry is described for reactions of the amino aldehydes with 1,4-diacetylbenzene, 4,4'-diacetylbiphenyl, 1,5-diacetylanthracene, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroacridine-1,8-dione, and tetracyclo[6.3.0.0.(4,11)0(5,9)]undecane-2,7-dione (TCU-2,7-dione).

The Friedländer condensation was employed to synthesize two series of 3,3'-polymethylene bridged ligands, L, based on 2-(2'-pyridyl)-benzo[h]quinoline and 2,2'-bibenzo[h]quinoline (BHQ) along with the fully aromatic naphtho[1,2-b]-1,10-phenanthroline. Complexes [Cu(L)(2)](+) were prepared as their perchlorate or hexafluorophosphate salts. The solution state structures were analyzed by NMR and shielding effects reflected significant interligand pi-stacking interaction in the complexes. Solid-state structures of the complexes where L = 3,3'-tetramethylene-2,2'-bibenzo[h]quinoline or naphtho[1,2-b]-1,10-phenanthroline were determined by X-ray analysis. The tetramethylene bridged complex showed a highly distorted coordination geometry with the BHQ rings of opposing ligands pi-stacked at a interplanar distance of about 3.37 A. Complexes of the BHQ series showed a pronounced MLCT absorption maximum which shifted bathochromically from 496 to 610 nm as the 3,3'-bridge decreased from 4 to 2 carbons. The BHQ complexes luminesced strongly in CH(2)Cl(2) solution and the tetramethylene-bridged system showed the longest yet recorded excited-state lifetime for a copper MLCT excited state, tau = 5.3 micros and Phi = 0.10.

A series of 3,3′-bridged derivatives of 2,2′-biquinoline have been prepared where the bridge consists of one to four methylene units or a -CHdCH-moiety. The corresponding [CuL 2 ](ClO 4 ) complexes were also prepared and their structures analyzed and confirmed by 1 H NMR. Electronic absorption maxima for the metal-to-ligand transition were found to move to higher energy and oxidation potentials were found to increase as the ligands became more distorted from planarity. An X-ray analysis was carried out for the most distorted system having a 3,3′-tetramethylene bridge (C 44 H 36 BCuF 4 N 4 : triclinic, P1 h, a ) 11.605(2) Å, b ) 12.622(3) Å, c ) 14.524(3) Å, R ) 106.05(1)°, β ) 109.06(1)°, γ ) 105.37(1)°, V ) 1778 Å 3 , Z ) 2). A wide variation in Cu-N bond lengths, 1.98-2.23 Å, was observed, and the two more weakly complexed quinolines were seen to be arranged in an almost parallel fashion. Ligand exchange studies with neocuproine indicated that the strength of Cu(I) binding depends on the planarity of the system as well as the cisoid disposition of the quinoline nitrogens.

Two new dyads have been synthesized in which terminal Ru(II) and Os(II) polypyridine complexes are separated by sterically constrained spiro bridges. The photophysical properties of the corresponding mononuclear complexes indicate the importance of the decay of the lowest-energy triplet states localized on the metallo fragments through the higher-energy metal-centered excited states. This effect is minimized at 77 K, where triplet lifetimes are relatively long, and for the Os(II)-based systems relative to their Ru(II)-based counterparts. Intramolecular triplet energy transfer takes place from the Ru(II)-based fragment to the appended Os(II)-based unit, the rate constant being dependent on the molecular structure and on temperature. In all cases, the experimental rate constant matches surprisingly well with the rate constant calculated for Förster-type dipole-dipole energy transfer. As such, the disparate rates shown by the two compounds can be attributed to stereochemical factors. It is further concluded that the spiro bridging unit does not favor through-bond electron exchange interactions, a situation confirmed by cyclic voltammetry.