Polymorphism of the Luminescent Gold(I) Compounds Under Pressure

We intend to study phase transitions and structural modifications taking place in single crystals of the luminescent 1-(pyren-1-yl)prop-2-yn-1-onyl)- (triethylphosphine)-gold(I) compound (chemical formula C25 H24 O P Au) at high-pressure using X-ray diffraction (HP XRD). We want to track structural changes leading to phase transition occurring around 0.6GPa in its highly luminescent triclinic beta polymorph, describe its mechanism and investigate structures of high- pressure modulated phases coexisting as domains of an initially single crystal at pressures reaching up to 6 GPa. In the long term we aim to correlate distinct photoluminescent properties of the compound in its various forms and at various pressures with the crystal structure and its evolution under mechanical stress. We are particularly interested in the evolution of the Au...Au short contacts and the relative orientation of the pyrene moieties, which are the underlying cause of the modulations in the structure.