Coordination Chemistry Reviews 208 (2000) 115–137 Platinum diimine complexes: towards a molecular photochemical device Muriel Hissler, James E. McGarrah, William B. Connick, David K. Geiger, Scott D. Cummings, Richard Eisenberg * Department of Chemistry, Uniersity of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 -0216, USA Received 3 September 1999; accepted 15 December 1999 Contents Abstract .................................................... 115 1. Introduction ............................................... 116 2. The platinum diimine chromophore .................................. 117 3. Platinum diimine bis(acetylide) complexes .............................. 119 4. Self-quenching of Pt(diimine) complexes ............................... 124 5. A molecular photochemical device based on the platinum diimine chromophore ........ 126 6. Dyads and triads ............................................ 128 7. Conclusions................................................ 133 Acknowledgements ............................................. 134 References .................................................. 134 Abstract Complexes having the general formula PtX 2 (diimine) where X 2 =dithiolate, bis(acetylide) and diimine =bipyridine, phenanthroline and derivatives have been investigated for potential use as chromophores in the conversion of light-to-chemical energy. These complexes, like the analogous X =CN systems, are luminescent in fluid solution. Previous studies of the dithiolate derivatives reveal that they possess a charge transfer excited state involving a mixed metal – dithiolate donor orbital and a *(diimine) acceptor function with excited state properties including emission energies, lifetimes and redox potentials that are tunable by ligand variation. The bis(acetylide) complexes are brightly luminescent in fluid solution, and their excited state is shown to be MLCT in character, consistent with an earlier proposal. Both sets of diimine complexes show evidence of self-quenching, and for Pt(phen)(CCPh) 2 , weak excimer emission is observed. The mechanism of quenching has been probed through www.elsevier.com/locate/ccr * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-716-2755573; fax: +1-716-4736889. E-mail address: rse7@chem.rochester.edu (R. Eisenberg). 0010-8545/00/$ - see front matter © 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved. PII:S0010-8545(00)00254-X