Structural Elucidation of Selective Solvatochromism in a Responsive‐at‐metal Cyclometalated Platinum(II) Complex

Tuning the optical and luminescent properties of materials is of great interest for a range of applications (e.g. sensing and optoelectronics). Miguel Soto, a post-doc in the MacLachlan group, recently discovered how simple solvent molecules can get the job done. Dr. Soto’s paper was recently published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. In their report, they explain how solvents can switch the color and luminescence of a platinum(II) complex. In the solid state, this species appears either yellow or orange, depending on the solvent molecules within the powder; in solution, the same complex can emit red or green light depending on the medium. These phenomena are explained by the intermolecular interactions between Pt(II) units, which are delicately shaped by the solvent molecules. Further tuning of the photophysical properties was also accomplished through reversible chemical transformations that allowed toggling between glowing and non-glowing states. Currently, the MacLachlan group is expanding this supramolecular concept to generate a new family of stimuli responsive molecules that can be tuned in a snap.