Boron difluoride of 3-amino-1,3-diphenyl-2-propene-1-onate (1) has been synthesized and its crystal structure has been determined. The comparative studies of 1 and its oxygen analog 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-dionate (dibenzoylmethanate) of boron difluoride (2) have been performed using the methods of stationary and time-resolved spectroscopy and quantum chemical modeling. It was established that at the transition from solutions to crystals, a bathochromic shift of the spectra and a significant increase of luminescence intensity of 1 take place. The luminescent properties of solutions of 1 and 2 are similar. The peculiarities of crystal packings of 1 and 2 are responsible for differences in crystals luminescent properties. For crystals of 2, one observes the luminescence of J-aggregates and excimers, while for 1, in which a dimer is an elementary structural fragment, only the excimer luminescence is registered. A delayed excimer fluorescence of the P-type was observed for crystals of 1 and 2 at room temperature. The intensity of the delayed fluorescence of 1 is 300-fold higher than that of 2. Graphical Abstract Luminescence of J-aggregates and the formation of excimers in crystals of 1 and 2.
Keywords: Crystal structure; Delayed fluorescence; Excimer; Luminescence; Quantum chemical modeling; β-diketonate of boron difluoride; β-ketoiminate of boron difluoride.