A Red-Emitting Luminescent Material Capable of Detecting Low Water Content in Organic Solvents

A new red-emitting luminescent material was prepared from a gel formed by simply mixing EuCl(3)6H(2)O and 4-para-phenylcarboxyl-2,2:6,2-terpyridine (Hcptpy) in a molar ratio of 1:2 in anhydrous ethanol at room temperature. It shows bright red luminescence dominated by the (D0F2)-D-5-F-7 transition of Eu3+, a long lifetime (1.16ms), a high absolute quantum yield (48.2%), and good thermostability (stable up to 500 degrees C). In addition, the luminescence of the material can be easily quenched by contact with water, which makes it suitable for detecting low contents of water (0.1-1.5vol%) in common organic solvents such as diethyl ether and THF.