We performed a predictive analysis, based on quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR), of the luminescence lifetime (tau) of Eu(fod)(3) in different solvents. The Eu(fod)(3) luminescent properties have been helpful as replacements for radioactivity, alternatives to standard fluorescent dyes and donors in energy transfer experiments, and are gaining expanding applications in wide variety of bioanalytical assays. Our best QSPR linear model constructed from 23 molecular structures combines four molecular descriptors, selected from more than a thousand geometrical, topological, quantum-mechanical and electronic types of descriptors. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.