Methods for deposition of elemental metal films on surfaces using metal coordination complexes comprising nitrogen-containing ligands are provided. Also provided are nitrogen-containing ligands useful in the methods of the invention and metal coordination complexes comprising these ligands.

A method for producing a cyclometalated iridium complex by allowing an iridium compound and an aromatic bidentate ligand to react each other. In particular, the method is characterized by allowing a -diketonate salt represented by General Formula (4) to coexist in a reaction system for reaction. By adding the -diketonate salt into the reaction system, stability of a reaction intermediate product between the iridium compound and the aromatic bidentate ligand improves. Therefore, yield of the cyclometalated iridium complex can improve. The cyclometalated iridium complex produced in accordance with the present invention is useful as a phosphorescent material for use in an organic EL element, for example.

##STR00001##

A compound that includes a ligand L.sub.A of Formula I, Formula II, or Formula III, and the ligand L.sub.A is coordinated to a metal M.

##STR00001##

Ring A is a 5-membered, or 6-membered, aromatic ring, and Ring B a 5-membered, or 6-membered, carboxylic or heterocyclic ring.

Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, and Y.sup.3 are independently selected from the group consisting of C, N, and B, and forms an aromatic BN ring; wherein one of Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, and Y.sup.3 is C, one of Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, and Y.sup.3 is N, and one of Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2, and Y.sup.3 is B, and the B and N are adjacent ring atoms; and Z.sup.1 and Z.sup.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of C and N. The compounds can be used as phosphorescent dopant emitters in OLEDs. An OLED that includes an organic layer that includes a compound with a ligand L.sub.A of Formula I, Formula II, or Formula III, and a consumer product that includes the OLED.

Metal coordination complexes comprising an iridium atom coordinated to at least one diazabutadiene based ligand having a structure represented by:

##STR00001##

where R1 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C4 alkyl and amino groups, and each of R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C3 alkyl, or amino groups are described. Processing methods using the metal coordination complexes are also described.

A formic acid decomposition catalyst system includes organometallic complexes having formula 1: ##STR00001## wherein: M is a transition metal; E is P, N, or C (as in imidazolium carbene); R.sub.1, R.sub.2 are independently C.sub.1-6 alkyl groups; o is 1, 2, 3, or 4; R.sub.3 are independently hydrogen, C.sub.1-6 alkyl groups, OR.sub.14, NO.sub.2, halogen; R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8, R.sub.9, R.sub.10, R.sub.11, R.sub.12, R.sub.13, R.sub.15, R.sub.16 are independently hydrogen or C.sub.1-6 alkyl groups; R.sub.14 is a C.sub.1-6 alkyl group; and X.sup. is a negatively charge counter ion.

Novel metal compounds having a first ligand L.sub.A that has the following formula:

##STR00001##

Formula I useful as emitters in OLED application are disclosed.

A compound including a first ligand L.sub.A of Formula I,

##STR00001##

is provided. In Formula I, moiety B is a fused polycyclic ring system; X.sup.1 to X.sup.4 are each C or N; K is a direct bond or a linker; L.sub.A is coordinated to a metal. Formulations, OLEDs, and consumer products containing such compounds are also provided.

A method for manufacturing tris(-diketonato)iridium by reacting -diketone with an iridium compound, in which an activation treatment including (a) an alkali treatment and (b) an acid treatment described below is applied to the iridium compound to activate the iridium compound, and to subsequently react the -diketone, (a) an alkali treatment: a treatment of adding alkali to a solution of the iridium compound to raise pH of the solution to a more alkaline side than that before the alkali addition and to not less than 10, and (b) an acid treatment: a treatment of adding acid to the solution subjected to the alkali treatment to lower pH of the solution to a more acidic side than that before the acid addition and to make the pH difference between solutions before and after the acid addition be not less than 0.1 and not more than 10. The present invention allows manufacture of tris(-diketonato)iridium utilizing a wide variety of -diketones.

Metal coordination complexes comprising an iridium atom coordinated to at least one diazabutadiene based ligand having a structure represented by: ##STR00001## where R1 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C4 alkyl and amino groups, and each of R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C3 alkyl, or amino groups are described. Processing methods using the metal coordination complexes are also described.

Metal coordination complexes comprising an iridium atom coordinated to at least one diazabutadiene based ligand having a structure represented by:

##STR00001##

where R1 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of C1-C4 alkyl and amino groups, and each of R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C3 alkyl, or amino groups are described. Processing methods using the metal coordination complexes are also described.