Long-range energy transfer in a soluble polymer by an energy-transfer cascade

In the study of intramolecular energy or electron transfer, soluble polymers offer the advantage of having multiple sites which can be used to concentrate combinations of chromophores and quenchers within the same molecular framework. We have prepared a functionalized 1:1 copolymer of styrene:m,p (chloromethyl)styrene that contains (1) a polypyridyl complex of Ru{sup II} which upon excitation gives a high-energy metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited state, (2) a polypyridyl complex of Os{sup II} which has a lower energy excited state, and (3) an anthryl derivative based on 9-anthracenemethanol which has a triplet state of intermediate energy.