Effect of pH in the photoluminescence of a ruthenium complex featuring a derivative of the ligand pyrazine[2,3-f][1,10]-phenanthroline.

A new ruthenium complex, [Ru(bpy)2(dbe-ppl)](PF6)2 (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine and dbe-ppl=dimethyl 4,4'-(pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline-2,3-diyl)dibenzoate, has been synthesized and characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, UV-Vis, IR, and cyclic voltammetry. Irradiation on the MLCT band results in photoluminescence in both protic and aprotic solvents. The photoluminescence in water is pH dependent, it shows a behavior which can be described by the Henderson-Hasselbalch assuming the protonation/deprotonation of the excited state with a pKa of 2.40±0.01.