%A Deiters,Emmanuel %A Eliseeva,Svetlana %A Bünzli,Jean-Claude %D 2013 %J Frontiers in Chemistry %C %F %G English %K lanthanides,self-assemby,helicate,dinuclear,bimetallic,stability constants determination,photophysical properties %Q %R 10.3389/fchem.2013.00015 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2013-September-11 %9 Original Research %+ Prof Jean-Claude Bünzli,Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL),Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering,Lausanne,1015,Vaud,Switzerland,jean-claude.bunzli@epfl.ch %+ Prof Jean-Claude Bünzli,Korea University, Sejong campus,Department of Advanced Materials Chemistry,Seochang-ro 308,Jochiwon-eup,Sejong-si,339-700,Chungcheongnam-do,Republic of Korea,jean-claude.bunzli@epfl.ch %# %! Self-assembly of a helical zinc-europium complex %* %< %T Self-assembly of a helical zinc-europium complex: speciation in aqueous solution and luminescence %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2013.00015 %V 1 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 2296-2646 %X Two new tridentate(NNO)-bidentate(NN) compartmental ligands, HL5 and HL6, are synthesized from pyridine and benzimidazole synthons. They react in aqueous solution under physiological conditions with ZnII, LnIII, or a mixture thereof, to yield complexes of different stoichiometries, 1:3, 2:2, 2:3, 1:1:3, the speciation of which is established by UV-visible titrations and ESI mass spectrometry. Photophysical studies of the EuIII-containing solutions in Tris-HCl 0.1 M (pH = 7.4) show that lanthanide luminescence arises from a unique N6O3 coordination site with pseudo D3 symmetry. Relevant parameters such as crystal field splitting, lifetime, radiative lifetime, and intrinsic quantum yield perfectly match those reported for dinuclear 4f-4f helicates in which the EuIII ion has the same coordination environment.