Controlling energy transfer in ytterbium complexes: oxygen dependent lanthanide luminescence and singlet oxygen formation

Pyrene-appended ytterbium complexes have been prepared using Ugi reactions to vary the chromophore-lanthanide separation. Formation of the ytterbium(III) excited state is sensitised via both the singlet and triplet excited states of the chromophore. Energy transfer from the latter is relatively slow, and gives rise to oxygen-dependent luminescence.