Extraordinary photoluminescence behavior of an efficient electrochemiluminophore: Tb(III) chelated by 2,6-bis[N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)aminomethyl]-4-benzoylphenol

The reactivities of lanthanide ions in their excited states are first considered in water and the energy diagrams of most important of them are sketched to illustrate the highly oxidizing and reducing species involved reacting with one-electron steps. Anomalous photoluminescence behavior of Tb(III) chelated by 2,6-bis[N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)aminomethyl]-4-benzoylphenol is studied. The present chelate is known to show relative strong chemiluminescence in the presence of hydrated electron and oxidizing radicals but it shows an extraordinarily short luminescence lifetime of radiative relaxation of its 5D4 state under photoexcitation.