Dynamics of the 3MLCT in Ru(II) terpyridyl complexes probed by ultrafast spectroscopy: evidence of excited-state equilibration and interligand electron transfer.

Ground- and excited-state properties of [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+), [Ru(tpy)(ttpy)](2+), and [Ru(ttpy)(2)](2+) (where tpy = 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine and ttpy = 4'-(4-methylphenyl)-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine) in room temperature acetonitrile have been investigated using linear absorption, electrochemical, and ultrafast transient pump-probe techniques. Spectroelectrochemistry was used to assign features observed in the transient spectra while single wavelength kinetics collected at a variety of probe wavelengths were used to monitor temporal evolution of the MLCT excited state. From these data, the excited-state lifetime of each complex was recovered and the rate limiting decay step was identified. In the bis-heteroleptic complex [Ru(tpy)(ttpy)](2+), photoexcitation to the (1)MLCT manifold generates both tpy-localized and ttpy-localized excited states. Accordingly, interligand electron transfer (ILET) from tpy-localized to the ttpy-localized (3)MLCT excited states is observable and the time scale has been measured to be 3 ps. For the homoleptic complex [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+), evidence for equilibration of the (3)MLCT excited-state population with the (3)MC has been observed and the time scale is reported at 2 ps.