Control of the Mutual Arrangement of Cyclometalated Ligands in Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes. Synthesis, Spectroscopy, and Electroluminescence of the Different Isomers

Synthetic control of the mutual arrangement of the cyclometalated ligands (C^N) in Ir(III) dimers, [Ir(C^N)2Cl]2, and cationic bis-cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes, [Ir(C^N)2(L^L)]+ (L^L = neutral ligand), is described for the first time. Using 1-benzyl-4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole (HdfptrBz) as a cyclometalating ligand, two different Ir(III) dimers, [Ir(dfptrBz)2Cl]2, are synthesized depending on the reaction conditions. At 80 °C, the dimer with an unusual mutual cis-C,C and cis-N,N configuration of the C^N ligands is isolated. In contrast, at higher temperature (140 °C), the geometrical isomer with the common cis-C,C and trans-N,N arrangement of the C^N ligand is obtained. In both cases, an asymmetric bridge, formed by a chloro ligand and two adjacent nitrogens of the triazole ring of one of the cyclometalated ligands, is observed. The dimers are cleaved in coordinating solvents to give the solvento complexes [Ir(dfptrBz)2Cl(S)] (S = DMSO or acetonitrile), which maintain the C^N arrangement ...