Four-Coordinate Monoboron Complexes with 8-Hydroxyquinolin-5-Sulfonate: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, Theoretical Studies, and Luminescence Properties

8-Hydroxyquinolin-5-sulfonic acid (8HQSA) was combined with 3-pyridineboronic acid (3PBA) or 4-pyridineboronic acid (4PBA) to give two zwitterionic monoboron complexes in crystalline form. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, and IR, H-1 NMR, UV-Visible, and luminescence spectroscopy. The analyses revealed compounds with boron atoms adopting tetrahedral geometry. In the solid state, the molecular components are linked by charge-assisted (B)(O-HMIDLINE HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS-O(S) and N+-HMIDLINE HORIZONTAL ELLIPSISO(S) hydrogen bonds aside from C-HMIDLINE HORIZONTAL ELLIPSISO contacts and pi MIDLINE HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS pi interactions, as shown by Hirshfeld surface analyses and 2D fingerprint plots. The luminescence properties were characterized in terms of the emission behavior in solution and the solid state, showing emission in the bluish-green region in solution and large positive solvatofluorochromism, caused by intramolecular charge transfer. According to TD-DFT calculations at the M06-2X/6-31G(d) level of theory simulating an ethanol solvent environment, the emission properties are originated from pi-pi * and n-pi * HOMO-LUMO transitions.

Automated summary

Experimental results show that the combination of 8-Hydroxyquinolin-5-sulfonic acid with pyridineboronic acids gives rise to zwitterionic monoboron complexes with unique luminescence properties, linked by hydrogen bonds in the solid state.