Luminescent chloride and hexaflurophosphate salts of Pt(Me2bzimpy)Cl+ (Me2bzimpy = 2,6-bis(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine) are reported. As solids, both compounds are vapochromic, undergoing pronounced and reversible changes of color and emission in the presence of volatile organic compounds. The chloride salt responds to vapors of methanol, chloroform, ethanol, and acetonitrile, undergoing a distinct change in color from yellow to red within seconds. The PF6- salt responded selectively to acetonitrile vapor, changing from yellow to violet while sorbing 1.0 +/- 0.1 equiv. For either salt, leaving vapor-exposed samples in air for several days or heating for several minutes restored the original color. UV-visible absorption spectra and solid-state room temperature and 77 K emission spectra are reported, and the accumulated data are consistent with a decrease in Pt...Pt separation accompanying vapor sorption.

The design and self-assembly of five new supramolecular complexes (a rectangle, a triangle, a hexagon, and two squares) are described. These assemblies incorporate carborane building blocks and were prepared in excellent yields (>85%). The assemblies and building blocks were characterized with multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Isotopically resolved mass spectrometry data confirm the existence of the rectangle, triangle, and hexagon, and NMR data are consistent with the formation of all five assemblies. The X-ray structures of two linear carborane building blocks, 1,12-(4-CC(C(5)H(4)N)(2)-p-C(2)B(10)H(10) (1) and 1,12-(trans-(Pt(PEt(3))(2)I)CC)(2)-p-C(2)B(10)H(10) (2), are reported: 1 is monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 10.6791(4) A, b = 8.0091(14) A, c = 11.6796(4) A, beta = 107.8461(15) degrees , V = 950.89(5) A(3), Z = 2; 2 is monoclinic, C2/c, a = 62.1128(10) A, b = 22.0071(3) A, c = 14.0494(2) A, beta = 89.9411(8) degrees , V = 19204.4(5) A(3), Z = 16. Crystals of the linear linker 1 exhibit close pi-pi pyridine and pyridine-B(carborane) interactions, which are discussed.

A strategy for designing cooperative outer-sphere two-electron platinum reagents is demonstrated. The novel platinum(II) complex, [Pt(tpy)(pip2NCN)][BF4] (1(BF4-)) (tpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, pip2NCN- = 2,6-(CH2N(CH2)5)2-C6H3-), in which the metal is bonded to two pincer type ligands, has been prepared. Treatment of 1 with protic acid results in protonation of the pendant piperdyl groups, allowing for the isolation of [Pt(tpy)(pip2NCNH2)][PF6]3 (2(PF6-)3). 1H NMR spectra of 1 and 2 establish that in each complex the terpyridyl ligand is tridentate, whereas the piperdyl ligand is monodentate, bonded to platinum through the phenyl ring. The structure of the protonated complex was confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic study of crystals of 2(Cl-)3.4H2O. The cyclic voltammagram of 1 exhibits two reversible one-electron reduction waves at E degrees ' = -0.98 V and E degrees ' = -1.50 V (E degrees ' = (Epc + Epa)/2), with a DeltaEp of 65 and 61 mV, respectively. In contrast to other Pt(II) complexes, including 2, this complex also undergoes a nearly reversible two-electron oxidation process at E degrees ' = 0.40 V (DeltaEp = 43 mV, 0.01 V/s). The accumulated data are consistent with the unusual ligand architecture of 1 being capable of stabilizing and allowing for facile interconversion between the Pt(II) and Pt(IV) oxidation states.