Anchor‐Functionalized Push‐Pull‐Substituted Bis(tridentate) Ruthenium(II) Polypyridine Chromophores: Photostability and Evaluation as Photosensitizers

Stable push-pull substituted heteroleptic bis(tridentate) ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes with COOH or 2,2′-bipyridine anchor groups have been prepared and characterized by 1H, 13C and 15N NMR 1D and 2D spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, high-resolution ESI mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, luminescence spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. The complexes feature a pronounced electronic directionality and high absorption wavelengths up to λmax = 544 nm extending to 720 nm as a result of favorable push-pull substitutions. A remarkable photostability in the presence of water and coordinating ions (I–) was discovered for…