Circularly Polarized Luminescence Studies of Chiral Lanthanide Complexes

The utility of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy in the study of lanthanide ion coordination chemistry has been described. A variety of optically active Tb(III) and Eu(III) compounds have been considered, containing chiral carboxylic acids, chiral amino acids, chiral aminopolycarboxylic acids, achiral β-diketones and chiral substrates, and chiral β-diketones and achiral substrates. In addition, studies of the Pfeiffer effect in lanthanide compounds have also been discussed. CPL spectroscopy has been found to be the chiroptical technique of choice for lanthanide compounds, and a considerable amount of structural and stereochemical information has been obtained from these investigations.