Photophysics, rhenium diimine photochemical ligand

This case study deals with different photophysical properties of a variety of diimine rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes. The exceptionally diverse photophysical behavior of these complexes is largely dependent on the nature of their lowest excited states. Varying the substituents on either the diimine ligands or ancillary ligands can easily change the relative order of these excited states and provides a way to tune the excited-state characteristics. A range of important applications is now becoming apparent, based on the richness of the photophysical and photochemical properties of diimine rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes. 

In recent years, this section of this report has been dominated by the photochemical and photophysical properties of Re(CO)3(diimine)X complexes. Although the main deluge of research is over, there are still examples to be found. The photochemical/physical properties of monomer and polymer species with ReI(CO)3(phen) chromophores has been investigated by Wolcan and Ferraudi, and proton-controlled photoisomerisation of rhenium(I) tricarbonyl bipyridine linked to amine or azacrown ether groups by a styryl pyridine bridging ligand has been discovered by Perutz et alP... 

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