Terbium β-Diketonate Based Highly Luminescent Soft Materials

[C(4)mim][Tb(hfacac)(4)] (1) and [C(4)mpyr][Tb(hfacac)(4)] (2) (C(4)mim = 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium, C(4)mpyr = N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium) were obtained by reacting [C(4)mim]Cl (for 1) or [C(4)mpyr]Br (for 2) with (hexafluoroacetyl)acetone and terbium(III) chloride in a basic ethanol/water solution. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis reveals Tb-III to be chelated by four (hexafluoroacetyl)acetonate anions. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) investigations show both compounds to melt below 120 degrees C. For [C(4)mpyr][Tb(hfacaC)(4)] (2) the DSC traces indicate an organic plastic crystal behavior (OPCB). Both compounds show very strong emission in the visible region of light which are characteristic for the terbium(111) ion. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)