Triplet-Singlet Transitions in Organic Molecules. Lifetime Measurements of the Triplet State

The emission lifetimes of the metastable triplet states (phosphorescent states) of a large variety of organic molecules have been measured. The lifetimes are in the range from 10−4 to about 10 seconds. It is shown that the transition probabilities corresponding to the shorter lifetimes are of the same magnitude as found in the light atoms of which the molecule is composed. The longer lifetimes, on the order of seconds, are found only among the aromatic compounds. A consideration of the perturbing singlet states in aromatic compounds shows that the matrix elements for the intercombination must be very much smaller than those responsible for the intercombination in the free carbon atoms. Direct evidence that the long-lived states of the aromatic compounds are triplet states is obtained by showing that as the atomic number of chemically similar substituents is increased (e.g. substitute Br for Cl), the transition probability increases approximately in proportion to the increase in the square of the spin-orbit interaction energy of the substituent atom. The luminescences are usually observable only when the substance is dissolved in a rigid solvent, and the effect of such a solvent on the lifetimes is discussed. Experimental data relating singlet-triplet absorption strength to triplet state lifetime is presented.