TETRAAZATRIPHENYLENES AS EXTREMELY EFFICIENT ANTENNA CHROMOPHORES FORLUMINESCENT LANTHANIDE IONS

A series of tetraazatriphenylene derivatives is presented that constit utes a new and efficient class of sensitisers with significant complex ing power for lanthanide ions. These tetraazatriphenylenes have the ab ility to sensitise the luminescence of different lanthanide ions simul taneously within a practically suitable excitation window, and the 2:1 (ligand - ion) complexes are stable even at row concentrations in ace tonitrile. The very high luminescence quantum yields obtained for both Eu3+ and Tb3+ (up to 0.41 and 0.67, respectively) in combination with the suitable excitation window and the appreciable molar extinction c oefficient of tetraazatriphenylenes at lambda > 330 nm make these sens itisers very attractive for incorporation as antenna chromophores in l uminescent lanthanide probes (e.g. for time-resolved fluorometry).