Thallium salen fluorescent tracers
View Patent ↗Thallium salens can be synthesized by reacting thallium alkoxide with a salen ligand. As examples of the invention, the dinuclear complexes Tl 2 -(salo-Bu t ) and Tl 2 -(saloPh-Bu t ) were synthesized by the reaction of thallium ethoxide with (H 2 -salo-Bu t ) or (H 2 -saloPh-Bu t ). These thallium salens may have applications as fluorescent tracers (or taggants) for subterranean fluid flows.
1. A method to synthesize a thallium salen according to the reaction:
2[Tl(OR*)]+H 2 -saloR′—R→[Tl 2 (saloR′—R)]+2HOR*
where Tl(OR*) is a thallium alkoxide, H 2 -saloR′—R is a salen ligand, and Tl 2 (saloR′—R) is the thallium salen.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein R is a substituent on a salen ring comprising a hydrocarbon, nitrate, sulfate, or alkoxide.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein R′ is the linkage in the salen comprising an alkyl, phenyl, cyclohexyl, or hydrogen.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein H 2 -saloR′—R is H 2 -saloR′—Bu t and R′ is CH 2 CH 2 or C 6 H 4 .
5. A thallium salen having the chemical formula Tl 2 (saloR′—R).
6. The thallium salen of claim 5 , wherein R is a substituent on a salen ring comprising a hydrocarbon, nitrate, sulfate, or alkoxide.
7. The thallium salen of claim 5 , wherein R′ is the linkage in the salen comprising an alkyl, phenyl, cyclohexyl, or hydrogen.
8. The thallium salen of claim 7 , wherein R′ is CH 2 CH 2 or C 6 H 4 .
9. The thallium salen of claim 5 , wherein Tl 2 (saloR′—R) is [((μ-O) 2,κ 1 —(N)(N′)salo-Bu t )Tl 2 ] or {[((μ-O) 2 saloPh-Bu t )Tl 2 ][[((μ-O) 2,κ 1 —(N)(N′)saloPh-Bu t )Tl 2 ]}.