Raman spectroscopic studies on tropolone complexes with La, Nd, Sm, Yb

The complexes of tropolone (HL) with different lanthanide metals of lanthanum (La), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), ytterbium (Yb) have been prepared respectively in the non-aqueous solution by the direct electrochemical oxidation of sacrificial metal anodes, and characterized by normal Raman spectroscopy. By comparing the spectra of the ligands and their complexes, the stretching vibrational band of OH disappeared in complexes, and the frequencies shifts of some relevant bands were observed, particularly for the stretching vibration of CO. In the low frequency region, new metal ion sensitive bands at 400–700 cm−1 were observed, which could be assigned to the stretching vibrational mode of the bonding of lanthanide with oxygen. The stretching vibration of lanthanide–oxygen of tropolonate complexes showed a metal ion sensitivity. All the obvious change in spectral feature of Raman spectra revealed that CO and OH were coordinated with the center metal ions through oxygen atoms. Based on Raman results, the structures of the above complexes were proposed.