Triboluminescence and Vapor-Induced Phase Transitions in the Solids of Methyltriphenylphosphonium Tetrahalomanganate(II) Complexes

Triboluminescence (TL) of the methyltriphenylphosphonium tetrahalomanganate­(II) complexes such as bis­(methyltriphenylphosphonium) tetrabromomanganate (<b>PMBB</b>) and bis­(methyltriphenylphosphonium) dibromodichloromanganate (<b>PMBC</b>) was switched ON and OFF reversibly by vapors of aprotic and protic solvents, respectively, for the first time. Detailed analyses indicate that solids of the <b>PMBB</b> and the <b>PMBC</b> undergo phase transitions depending on the environment, which regulate the TL activity of these compounds. The combined results of luminescence, powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and electron paramagnetic resonance were used to demonstrate crystal dynamism as well as the TL emission of <b>PMBB</b> and <b>PMBC</b>