An efficient approach to the synthesis of diamides of 4,7-difluoro-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid was elaborated. Direct nucleophilic substitution with 4,7-dichloro-1,10-phenanthroline precursors opened access to difluoro derivatives in high yield. As a result, four new fluorinated ligands were prepared in up to 88% yield. Their structure was proved by a combination of spectral methods and X-ray data. A set of lanthanoid complexes was prepared to demonstrate the utility of new ligands. The structure of the complexes was studied in solid state (IR-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction) and in solution (NMR-spectroscopy).
Keywords: complex; fluorine; lanthanoid; nucleophilic substitution; phenanthroline; structure.