Red-Orange Emissive Cyclometalated Neutral Iridium(III) Complexes and Hydridoiridium(III) Complex Based on 2-Phenylquinoxaline : Structure, Photophysics and Reactivity of Acetylacetone Towards Cyclometalated Iridium Dimer

A new series of heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes has been synthesized and characterized by absorption, emission and cyclic voltammetry studies: $(pqx)_2Ir(acac)$ (1), $(dmpqx)_2Ir(acac)$ (2) and $(dfpqx)_2Ir(acac)$ (3) where pqx=2-phenylquinoxalinate, dmpqx=2-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)quinoxalinate, dfpqx=2-(2,4-difluorophenyl) quinoxalinate and acac=acetylacetonate anion. The reaction of excess acetylacetone with ${\mu}$-chloride-bridged dimeric iridium complex, $[(C\^N)_2Ir({\mu}-Cl)]_2$, gives a complex 1 and an unusual hydridoiridium(III) complex, $(pqx)IrH(acac)_2$ (4). The complex 1, 2 and 3 show their emissions in an orangered region (${\lambda}_{PL,max}$ = 583-616 nm), and the emission maxima can be tuned by the change of substituent at phenyl ring of 2-phenylquinoxaline ligand. The phosphorescent line shape indicates that the emissions originate predominantly from $^3MLCT$ states with little admixture of ligand-based $^3({\pi}-{\pi}^*)$ excited states. The structures of complex 3 and 4 are additionally characterized by a single crystal X-ray diffraction method. The complex 3 shows a distorted octahedral geometry around iridium(III) metal ion. A strong trans influence of the phenyl ring is examined. In complex 4, there are two discrete molecules which are mirror images each other at the ratio of 1:1 in an unit cell. We propose that the phosphorescent complex 1, 2 and 3 are possible candidates for the phosphors in OLEDs applications.