Design and characterization of novel pyridylbenzimidazole-based ruthenium(II) complexes, and their evaluation in singlet oxygen generation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Six new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes incorporating pyridinyl, quinolinyl, or isoquinolinyl-benzimidazole ligands were synthesized to investigate the influence of π-conjugated mono- and bis-chelating ligands on their photophysical and electrochemical properties, and compared to the frontrunner [Ru(bpy)₃]2PF 6 . Their evaluation reveals that ligand π-extension modulates the ILCT and MLCT transitions, leading to red-shifted absorption and tunable excited-state redox potentials. The mononuclear complexes were further evaluated as visible-light photocatalysts through reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and a model α-arylation reaction. These findings demonstrate that benzimidazole-based ligand engineering provides an effective strategy to tune the excited-state properties and photocatalytic behavior of ruthenium complexes.
DOI: 10.3762/bjoc.22.126
Authors: Benjamin Riss Yaw, Anna Porcher, Alice Saunier, Jean-Christophe Cintrat, Eugénie Romero
Language: English
Subfield: Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: Target ALS
OpenAlex ID: W7170139634