Quantum yields and efficiencies of (1)O2 ((1)Δg) production along with photophysical properties for a number of Re(I) complexes in acetonitrile solutions are reported. Two different classes of Re(I) complexes, L(S)-CO2-Re(CO)3(bpy) (L(S) = 2-pyrazine, 2-naphthalene, 9-anthracene, 1-pyrene, 2-anthraquinone) and XRe(CO)3L (X = CF3SO3, py; L = bpy, phen), were probed as photosensitizers for (1)O2 ((1)Δg) production in air-saturated acetonitrile solutions. Depending on the nature of the Re(I) complex, the excited state responsible for the generation of (1)O2 ((1)Δg) is either a metal-to-ligand charge transfer ((3)MLCT) or a ligand centered ((3)LC) state. With L(S)-CO2-Re(CO)3(bpy) complexes, (1)O2 ((1)Δg) is produced by oxygen quenching of (3)LC states of anthracene and pyrene with high quantum yields (ΦΔ between 0.8 and 1.0), while the complexes bearing the ligands L(S) = 2-anthraquinone, 2-pyrazine, and 2-naphthalene did not yield (1)O2. XRe(CO)3L complexes generate (1)O2 ((1)Δg) mainly by oxygen quenching of their (3)MLCT luminescence with an efficiency of (1)O2 ((1)Δg) formation close to unity. Bimolecular rate constants for the quenching of the XRe(CO)3L complexes' emission by molecular oxygen range between 1 × 10(9) and 2 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), and they are all ≤ (1/9)kd, in good agreement with the predominance of the singlet channel in the mechanism of (1)O2 ((1)Δg) generation using these Re(I) complexes as photosensitizers. All the experimental singlet oxygen efficiencies are consistent with calorimetric and luminescence data for the studied complexes. With L(S)-CO2-Re(CO)3(bpy) complexes, calorimetric experiments were utilized in the calculation of the quantum yields of triplet formation; namely φT = 0.76 and 0.83 for the triplet states of anthracene and pyrene, respectively.

Steady state and time-resolved luminescence experiments and calorimetric studies, as well as time-dependent density functional theory calculations performed on [ClRe(CO)(3)(Bathocuproinedisulfonate)](2-), show that the photophysical properties of the Re(I) anionic complex are determined by the balance between intraligand ((1)IL) and metal-ligand-to-ligand charge transfer ((3)MLLCT) excited states. In organic solvents, (3)MLLCT states prevail and the usual expected behavior is observed: bathochromic shift of the emission maximum, a reduced luminescence quantum yield and the shortening of the excited-state lifetime upon increasing the polarity of the solvent. In addition, singlet oxygen ((1)O2) is generated with high quantum yields (Φ(Δ) ≈ 0.5 in CH(3)CN) due to the quenching of the (3)MLLCT luminescence by (3)O2. The total quenching rate constant of triplet state by oxygen, k(q), reach values between 2.2 and 2.4 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) for the organic solvents studied. In CH(3)CN, the fraction of triplet states quenched by O2 which yield (1)O2, f(O2)T, is nearly unity. In aqueous solution, where no singlet oxygen is generated, the luminescence of the Re(I) complex is of (1)IL character with a emission quantum yield (Φ(em)) strongly pH dependent: Φ(em,(pH=2))/Φ(em,(pH=10)) ≈ 5.6. The variation of the pH of the solution tunes the photophysical properties of the Re(I) complex by changing the relative amount of the different species existing in aqueous solutions: [ClRe(CO)3(BCS)](2-), [(OH)Re(CO)3(BCS)](2-) and [(H2O)Re(CO)3(BCS)](−). TD-DFT calculations show that the percentage of charge transfer character of the electronic transitions is substantially higher in the organic solvents than in aqueous solutions, in agreement with the increase of (1)IL character of HOMO in [(H2O)Re(CO)3(BCS)](−) relative to [ClRe(CO)3(BCS)](2-).

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