JOURACA_SP_2017

Aurophilic Interactions and their Effect
on Intermolecular Energy Transfer
Name of SURF Member
The importance of transition metal containing
lanthanide polymers is quite extensive;
Au(I) based polymers are of particular importance
because of their interesting physical
properties. In this regard, determining
the efficiency with which energy transfers
along these polymers is essential to creating
more efficient forms of solar energy collection
as well as traceable drug-delivering biomolecules.
The critical problem of these
heterometallic systems is the inefficient direct
absorption of the f-f excited state in the
lanthanide ion. To compensate for this flaw,
conjugated organic ligands have been coordinated
onto the lanthanide of interest to
increase the light-energy harvesting capabilities
of the lanthanide ion. Understanding
how these various organic ligands affect
energy transfer in heterometallic compounds
requires the synthesis and characterization
of novel classes of lanthanide and
transition metal coordination compounds
incorporating gold-gold (aurophilic) interactions
as well as organic ligands
(specifically, 2,2'-bipyridine and 2,2'-
bipyrymidine). This work details the synthesis
of two series of isostructural lanthanide
dicyanoaurates containing the ancillary ligand
2,2'-bipyridine. Reactions were carried
out by reaction of Ln3+ triflate salts and
potassium dicyanoaurate which resulted in
the compounds of [Ln(C10H8N2)(H2O)4
(Au(CN)2)] and [Ln(Au(CN)2)4] (Ln=Tb,
Eu, and Gd). X-ray diffraction studies reveal
the existence of dimeric aurophilic
Department of Chemistry
Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Richard Sykora
interactions as well as ?-stacking. Luminescence
studies reveal enhanced Ln-based
emission due to energy transfer from the
dicyanoaurate and 2,2'-bipyridine ligands.
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