A series of Gd
3+
complexes
(
Gd1
–
Gd3
) with the general formula
GdL
3
(EtOH)
2
, where L is a β-diketone ligand
with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
substituents of increasing size (
1
–
3
), was studied by combining time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance
(TR-EPR) spectroscopy and DFT calculations to rationalize the anomalous
spectroscopic behavior of the bulkiest complex (
Gd3
)
through the series. Its faint phosphorescence band is observed only
at 80 K and it is strongly red-shifted (∼200 nm) from the intense
fluorescence band. Moreover, the TR-EPR spectral analysis found that
triplet levels of
3
/
Gd3
are effectively
populated and have smaller |
D
| values than those
of the other compounds. The combined use of zero-field splitting and
spin density delocalization calculations, together with spin population
analysis, allows us to explain both the large red shift and the low
intensity of the phosphorescence band observed for
Gd3
. The large red shift is determined by the higher delocalization
degree of the wavefunction, which implies a larger energy gap between
the excited S
1
and T
1
states. The low intensity
of the phosphorescence is due to the presence of C–H groups
which favor non-radiative decay. These groups are present in all complexes;
nevertheless, they have a relevant spin density only in
Gd3
. The spin population analysis on NaL models, in which Na
+
is coordinated to a deprotonated ligand, mimicking the coordinative
environment of the complex, confirms the outcomes on the free ligands.