Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminium

Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminium is the chemical compound with the formula Al(C₉H₆NO)₃. Widely abbreviated Alq3, it is a coordination complex wherein aluminium is bonded in a bidentate manner to the conjugate base of three 8-hydroxyquinoline ligands. Both the meriodonal and facial isomers are known as well as several polymorphs (different crystalline forms).^[1] The compound is prepared by the reaction of 8-hydroxyquinoline with aluminium(III) sources^[2]

Al³⁺ + C₉H₆NOH → Al(C₉H₆NO)₃ + 3 H⁺

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Alq3 is a common component of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED's). Variations in the substituents on the quinoline rings affect its luminescence properties.^[3]

References

1. ^ Michael Cölle, Robert E. Dinnebier and Wolfgang Brütting "The structure of the blue luminescent -phase of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminium(III) (Alq3)" Chemical Communications 2002, pp. 2908-9. DOI: 10.1039/b209164j.
2. ^ Katakura, R.; Koide, Y. “Configuration-Specific Synthesis of the Facial and Meridional Isomers of Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinate)aluminum (Alq3)” Inorganic Chemistry 2006 volume 45,pp 5730-5732. DOI: 10.1021/ic060594s.
3. ^ Victor A. Montes, Radek Pohl, Joseph Shinar, Pavel Anzenbacher Jr. "Effective Manipulation of the Electronic Effects and Its Influence on the Emission of 5-Substituted Tris(8-quinolinolate) Aluminum(III) Complexes" Chemistry - A European Journal 2006, Volume 12, pp. p 4523-4535. DOI: 10.1002/chem.200501403