[Pt(mesBIAN)(tda)]: a near-infrared emitter and singlet oxygen sensitizer.

The synthesis and subsequent photophysical investigation of [Pt(mesBIAN)(tda)], where mesBIAN is bis(mesitylimino)acenaphthene and tda is tolan-2,2'-diacetylide, reveal excited-state characteristics best described as triplet charge transfer ((3)CT) in nature upon visible light excitation. Large ground-state dipole moments are apparent as the absorption spectrum dramatically red-shifts with decreasing solvent polarity. The (3)CT excited state is significantly lower in energy than the ligand-centered (3)tda excited-state, as confirmed by steady-state and time-resolved techniques. Singlet oxygen sensitization studies demonstrate that (1)O(2) production occurs by diffusive quenching from the photo-excited (3)CT state (Phi(Delta) = 0.24, lambda(max) approximately 1270 nm) in oxygen-saturated dichloromethane.