Brightly emissive dinuclear silver(I) complexes based on a pyridine bisphosphine ligand

Dinuclear complexes [Ag₂I₂L₂] and [Ag₂I₂L(PPh₃)₂] were synthesized using 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)pyridine, a previously unexplored ligand. The second complex was isolated as solvates with CHCl₃ or Et₂O molecules possessing the same molecular geometry, but very different intramolecular Ag···Ag distances (3.630 and 3.098 Å, respectively). At room temperature, both complexes [Ag₂I₂L₂] and [Ag₂I₂L(PPh₃)₂] display strong blue-green luminescence with quantum yields of 32 and 62% and decay times of 6.9 and 12 μs, respectively.