Temperature- and pressure-dependent luminescence spectroscopy on the trans-[ReO2(pyridine)4]+ complex — Analysis of vibronic structure, luminescence energies, and bonding characteristics

Abstract

Resolved vibronic structure in electronic spectra provides a detailed view into how molecular structure changes after absorption or emission of a photon. We report temperature- and pressure-dependent luminescence spectra of trans-[ReO2(pyridine)4]I. Low-temperature spectra reveal long vibronic progressions in the totally symmetric O=Re=O (907 cm–1) and Re-pyridine (211 cm–1) stretching modes, indicating large structural displacements along these normal coordinates. The luminescence band maximum is at ca. 15 500 cm–1. Room-temperature spectra are somewhat less-resolved; however, intervals closely matching the O=Re=O frequency (~870 cm–1) persist at higher temperatures. The variable pressure spectra exhibit distinct changes in the vibronic patterns, and luminescence energies decrease by 16 ± 2 cm–1/kbar (1 bar = 100 kPa). Low-temperature spectra are modeled using two-dimensional potential energy surfaces to represent the initial and final electronic states, from which the quantitative normal coordinate offsets can be determined. We then adapt this model to the room-temperature, pressure-dependent data where it is possible to determine how the offsets and other important spectroscopic parameters vary with the pressure-induced changes of the molecular structure. Key words: trans-[ReO2(pyridine)4]I, low-temperature luminescence spectroscopy, high-pressure luminescence spectroscopy, vibronic structure, emitting state distortions.