Syntheses, characterization, and luminescence of two lanthanide complexes [Ln2(acetate)6(H2O)4]·4H2O (Ln=Tb(1), Sm(2))

Two dinuclear compounds [Ln2(acetate)6(H2O)4]·4H2O (Ln=Tb(1), Sm(2)) were obtained by the hydrothermal reaction of Ln2O3 with malonic acid at 150 °C. Both compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectra, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The results showed that complexes 1 and 2 were isomorphous and crystallize in triclinic space group P'1. The coordination geometry around Ln(III) ions in the complexes 1 and 2 was a distorted tricapped trigonal prism with a nine coordination. In the crystal, the molecular organization was further stabilized by well-defined weak hydrogen bonding interactions between the neutral dinuclear molecular units that led to the formation of a three-dimensional network. The fluorescence properties of the two complexes 1 and 2 in organic solvents were also studied. The results show that the ligand acetate favored energy transfer to the emitting energy level of Tb(III) in complex 1. Some factors that influence the fluorescent intensity were also discussed in the article.