Synthesis, Spectroscopy, and Electrochemistry of Tetra-tert-butylated Tetraazaporphyrins, Phthalocyanines, Naphthalocyanines, and Anthracocyanines, together with Molecular Orbital Calculations

The effect of peripheral substituents attached to phthalocyanines on the third order nonlinear optical properties of graphene oxide–zinc(ii)phthalocyanine hybrids

Both kinds of GO–ZnPc hybrid materials exhibit transformation of the NLO response from SA to RSA, and the β value of GO–ZnPc(DG)₄ is larger than that of GO–ZnPc(TD)₄ because of the stronger electron-donating peripheral substituents.

Trends in the TD-DFT calculations of porphyrin and phthalocyanine analogs

In 2005, Kobayashi and coworkers reported trends in the TD-DFT spectra of 17 Zn ( II ) porphyrinoids [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005; 127: 17697] that were analyzed using Michl's perimeter model as part of a study of the anomalous magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy of zinc tetraphenyltetraacenaphthoporphyrin. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that TD-DFT calculations with the commonly used hybrid B3LYP exchange-correlation functional of the Gaussian software package are problematic in the B -band region of porphyrinoid spectra, since the degree of configurational interaction between the B and higher energy ππ* state appears to be significantly overestimated. The CAM-B3LYP functional is now often preferred for analyzing the optical properties of porphyrinoids, since it includes a long-range correction of the exchange potential, which incorporates an increasing fraction of Hartree–Fock (HF) exchange as the interelectronic separation increases, making it better suited for studying compounds where there is significant charge transfer in the electronic excited states. The trends in the TD-DFT calculations are reexamined with a wider range porphyrinoid compounds including several with pyrazino moieties and are found to provide a closer agreement with the experimental in the B -band region for complexes such as zinc tetraphenylporphyrin and phthalocyanine.

Supramolecular self-assembly of metal-free naphthalocyanine on Au(111)

The self-assembly of metal-free naphthalocyanine (H2Nc) on the Au(111) surface is studied under ultrahigh vacuum conditions at room temperature using a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The STM measurements reveal that the molecules form a well-ordered, defect-free structure with a square-like unit cell at monolayer coverage with their molecular plane parallel to the substrate plane. The molecular lattice direction is aligned along one of the principal directions of the underlying Au(111) substrate while the molecular orientation remains unchanged for different domains. XPS measurements show that there is no significant difference in the electronic structure of H2Nc between monolayer and multilayer coverage. Combining the information obtained from STM, LEED and XPS measurements demonstrates that the self-assembled structure of H2Nc on Au(111) is mainly stabilized by intermolecular interactions while the molecule-substrate interactions are responsible for the rotational alignment of the molecules with respect to the principal Au directions.

Phosphorus(v) tetraazaporphyrins: porphyrinoids showing an exceptionally strong CT band between the Soret and Q bands

Phosphorus(v) tetraazaporphyrins which absorb over the complete UV-visible region have been synthesized for the first time.

Design, synthesis, and properties of phthalocyanine complexes with main-group elements showing main absorption and fluorescence beyond 1000 nm

We present a comprehensive description of the unique properties of newly developed phthalocyanines (Pcs) containing main-group elements that absorb and emit in the near-IR region. Group 16 (S, Se, and Te) elements and group 15 (P, As, and Sb) elements were used as peripheral and central (core) substituents. With the introduction of group 16 elements into free-base Pc, a red-shift of the Q-band was observed, as a result of the electron-donating ability of group 16 elements particularly at the α positions. An X-ray crystallographic analysis of α-ArS-, ArSe-, and ArTe-linked free-base Pcs was also successfully performed, and the relationship between structure and optical properties was clarified. When a group 15 element ion was introduced into the center of the Pc ring, the resulting Pcs showed a single Q-band peak beyond 1000 nm (up to 1056 nm in CH2Cl2). In particular, [(ArS)8PcP(OMe)2](+) and [(ArS)8PcAs(OMe)2](+) exhibited a distinct fluorescence in the 960-1400 nm region with moderate quantum yields. The atomic radius of the group 15 element is important for determining the Pc structure, so that this can be controlled by the choice of group 15 elements. Electrochemical data revealed, while MO calculations suggested, that the red-shift of the Q-band is attributable to a decrease of the HOMO-LUMO gap due to significant and moderate stabilization of the LUMO and HOMO, respectively. The effect of peripheral substutuents and a central P(V) ion on the Q-band shift was independently predicted by MO calculations, while the magnitude of the total calculated shift was in good agreement with the experimental observations. The combination of spectral, electrochemical, and theoretical considerations revealed that all of the central group 15 elements, peripheral group 16 elements, and their positions are necessary to shift the Q-band beyond 1000 nm, indicating that the substitution effects of group 15 and 16 elements act synergistically. The Pcs having Q-bands beyond 1000 nm in this study also had stability under aerobic conditions comparative to that of CuPc, which is presently being widely used in consumer products.

MCD spectroscopy and TD-DFT calculations of a naphthalene-ring-bridged coplanar binuclear phthalocyanine dimer

Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy and TD-DFT calculations are used to analyze the electronic structure and optical properties of an alkyl-substituted naphthalene-ring-bridged coplanar binuclear phthalocyanine dimer. An analysis of the MCD spectrum of the naphthalene-ring-bridged dimer relative to those of benzene-bridged compounds reported previously, demonstrates that there is a significantly weaker interaction between the two phthalocyanine rings. TD-DFT results obtained using the B3LYP functional with 6–31G basis sets were found to be problematic. Closer agreement with the experimental data is obtained when the CAM-B3LYP functional is used instead. The naphthalene-ring-bridged compound is found to be unsuitable for use as a photosensitizer for the formation of singlet oxygen, because the ΦT values are negligible.

Crossed and linked histories of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles and their use for engineering pores within sol-gel matrices

The crossed and linked histories of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, interwoven with new research discoveries, suggest that Nature has found in these structures a way to ensure the continuity of life. For diverse applications porphyrins or phthalocyanines must be trapped inside solid networks, but due to their nature, these compounds cannot be introduced by thermal diffusion; the sol-gel method makes possible this insertion through a soft chemical process. The methodologies for trapping or bonding macrocycles inside pristine or organo-modified silica or inside ZrO₂ xerogels were developed by using phthalocyanines and porphyrins as molecular probes. The sizes of the pores formed depend on the structure, the cation nature, and the identities and positions of peripheral substituents of the macrocycle. The interactions of the macrocyclic molecule and surface Si-OH groups inhibit the efficient displaying of the macrocycle properties and to avoid this undesirable event, strategies such as situating the macrocycle far from the pore walls or to exchange the Si-OH species by alkyl or aryl groups have been proposed. Spectroscopic properties are better preserved when long unions are established between the macrocycle and the pore walls, or when oligomeric macrocyclic species are trapped inside each pore. When macrocycles are trapped inside organo-modified silica, their properties result similar to those displayed in solution and their intensities depend on the length of the alkyl chain attached to the matrix. These results support the prospect of tuning up the pore size, surface area, and polarity inside the pore cavities in order to prepare efficient catalytic, optical, sensoring, and medical systems. The most important feature is that research would confirm again that tetrapyrrolic macrocycles can help in the development of the authentic pore engineering in materials science.

Insight into the electronic structure, optical properties, and redox behavior of the hybrid phthalocyaninoclathrochelates from experimental and density functional theory approaches

An insight into the electronic structure of several hafnium(IV), zirconium(IV), and lutetium(III) phthalocyaninoclathrochelates has been discussed on the basis of experimental UV-vis, MCD, electro- and spectroelectrochemical data as well as density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations. On the basis of UV-vis and MCD spectroscopy as well as theoretical predictions, it was concluded that the electronic structure of the phthalocyninoclathrochelates can be described in the first approximation as a superposition of the weakly interacting phthalocyanine and clathrochelate substituents. Spectroelectrochemical data and DFT calculations clearly confirm that the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in all tested complexes is localized on the phthalocyanine ligand. X-ray crystallography on zirconium(IV) and earlier reported hafnium(IV) phthalocyaninoclathrochelate complexes revealed a slightly distorted phthalocyanine conformation with seven-coordinated metal center positioned ∼1 Å above macrocyclic cavity. The geometry of the encapsulated iron(II) ion in the clathrochelate fragment was found to be between trigonal-prismatic and trigonal-antiprismatic.

Photoinduced charge transfer in short-distance ferrocenylsubphthalocyanine dyads

Two new ferrocenylsubphthalocyanine dyads with ferrocenylmethoxide (2) and ferrocenecarboxylate (3) substituents directly attached to the subphthalocyanine ligand via the axial position have been prepared and characterized using NMR, UV-vis, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies as well as X-ray crystallography. The redox properties of the ferrocenyl-containing dyads 2 and 3 were investigated using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) approach and compared to those of the parent subphthalocyanine 1. CV data reveal that the first reversible oxidation is ferrocene-centered, while the second oxidation and the first reduction are localized on the subphthalocyanine ligand. The electronic structures and nature of the optical bands observed in the UV-vis and MCD spectra of all target compounds were investigated by a density functional theory polarized continuum model (DFT-PCM) and time-dependent (TD)DFT-PCM approaches. It has been found that in both dyads the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to HOMO-2 are ferrocene-centered molecular orbitals, while HOMO-3 as well as lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and LUMO+1 are localized on the subphthalocyanine ligand. TDDFT-PCM data on complexes 1-3 are consistent with the experimental observations, which indicate the dominance of π-π* transitions in the UV-vis spectra of 1-3. The excited-state dynamics of the dyads 2 and 3 were investigated using time-correlated single photon counting, which indicates that fluorescence quenching is more efficient in dyad 3 compared to dyad 2. These fluorescence lifetime measurements were interpreted on the basis of DFT-PCM calculations.

The trisubstituted-triazole approach to extended functional naphthalocyanines

Recently, a novel modular approach to octatriazole-derived phthalocyanines (Pcs; 1) was developed and optimized in our group; herein, the pool of the functional Pc materials was expanded for an additional candidate (2), a fused derivative of 1. Compared with 1, the aromaticity in 2 is extended by an additional four benzene and eight triazole rings and, in addition, the triazole units and the Pc core co-create four functional, in-plane cavities. Various methods to link the unsubstituted carbon atoms of the neighboring triazoles in 1 to afford atomically flat naphthalocyanine (Nc) analogs (2), containing eight fused triazole moieties, were studied. Several synthetic routes were designed, among them the trisubstituted-triazole approach, which was found to be the most suitable route. The crucial steps of this approach, the copper-catalyzed azide-haloalkyne cycloaddition and the intramolecular homocoupling reactions, were first studied on a model system; subsequently, this methodology was applied in the synthesis of the desired Nc 2. The increased core size and the π-electron deficient structure predict this class of Ncs to possess very strong aggregation properties. Moreover, owing to the presence of four tridentate half-cavities, the final properties of the molecule or the assembly can, in principle, be further tuned by doping with metals or guest molecules.

Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical behavior of planar binuclear naphthalocyanines

The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical behavior of two planar binuclear naphthalocyanines containing benzene and naphthalene π-conjugated bridges was investigated for the first time. Their intense absorption in the near infrared region was observed even in a low polar solvent such as o-dichlorobenzene after electrochemical reduction at a potential of -0.4 V vs. SCE, which was not enough to reduce the complexes into their first reduction state. These data and EPR studies allow us to conclude that the electrochemically generated form is the true neutral form of the synthesized compounds whereas the suppression of the near-infrared bands is a result of the presence of their cation radicals as one-electron oxidized forms.

Electronic structure of five- and six-coordinate iron(III) tetraazaporphyrin complexes: pyrrole-Cαchemical shift as a useful probe

Electronic structure of a series of five-coordinate Fe ( OArTAzP ) X ( OAr = octaaryltetraazaporphyrin , X = Cl-, Br-, I-; Ar = 4-tert-butylphenyl) have been examined on the basis of1H NMR,13C NMR, and EPR spectroscopy as well as SQUID magnetometry. These complexes adopt the intermediate-spin state as in the case of analogous complexes reported by Fitzgerald et al. (Inorg. Chem. 1992; 31: 2006-2013) and Stuzhin et al. (Inorg. Chim. Acta 1995; 236: 131-139). The13C NMR studies using13C -enriched complexes at the pyrrole α positions have revealed that the pyrrole- Cαsignals appear at extraordinary upfield positions, i.e. -130 to -250 ppm at 273 K, due to the dz2-a2 uand dπ-3 eginteractions. The Curie plots of the pyrrole- Cαsignals have further revealed that the iodide complex adopts a much purer intermediate-spin state than the bromide and chloride complexes. In contrast to the case of Fe ( OArTAzP ) X , six-coordinate [ Fe ( OArTAzP )( CN )2]-showed the pyrrole- Cαsignal at 47 ppm at 273 K, which indicates that the complex adopts the low-spin state with the ( dxy)2( dxz, dyz)3electron configuration. Thus, the13C NMR chemical shift of the pyrrole- Cαsignal turns out to be quite a good probe to elucidate the spin state and electron configuration of iron(III) tetraazaporphyrins, where the1H NMR spectroscopy is less useful because of the absence of the hydrogen atoms as well as the alkyl or aryl groups directly attached to the meso positions.

Phosphonic acid functionalized asymmetric phthalocyanines: synthesis, modification of indium tin oxide, and charge transfer

Metalated and free-base A(3)B-type asymmetric phthalocyanines (Pcs) bearing, in the asymmetric quadrant, a flexible alkyl linker of varying chain lengths terminating in a phosphonic acid (PA) group have been synthesized. Two parallel series of asymmetric Pc derivatives bearing aryloxy and arylthio substituents are reported, and their synthesis and characterization through NMR, combustion analysis, and MALDI-MS are described. We also demonstrate the modification of indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using the PA functionalized asymmetric Pc derivatives and monitoring their electrochemistry. The PA functionalized asymmetric Pcs were anchored to the ITO surface through chemisorption and their electrochemical properties characterized using cyclic voltammetry to investigate the effects of PA structure on the thermodynamics and kinetics of charge transfer. Ionization energies of the modified ITO surfaces were measured using ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy.

Spectroscopic and computational characterization of the base-off forms of cob(II)alamin

The one-electron-reduced form of vitamin B(12), cob(II)alamin (Co(2+)Cbl), is found in several essential human enzymes, including the cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (MetH). In this work, experimentally validated electronic structure descriptions for two "base-off" Co(2+)Cbl species have been generated using a combined spectroscopic and computational approach, so as to obtain definitive clues as to how these and related enzymes catalyze the thermodynamically challenging reduction of Co(2+)Cbl to cob(I)alamin (Co(1+)Cbl). Specifically, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electronic absorption (Abs), and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopic techniques have been employed as complementary tools to characterize the two distinct forms of base-off Co(2+)Cbl that can be trapped in the H759G variant of MetH, one containing a five-coordinate and the other containing a four-coordinate, square-planar Co(2+) center. Accurate spin Hamiltonian parameters for these low-spin Co(2+) centers have been determined by collecting EPR data using both X- and Q-band microwave frequencies, and Abs and MCD spectroscopic techniques have been employed to probe the corrin-centered pi --> pi* and Co-based d --> d excitations, respectively. By using these spectroscopic data to evaluate electronic structure calculations, we found that density functional theory provides a reasonable electronic structure description for the five-coordinate form of base-off Co(2+)Cbl. However, it was necessary to resort to a multireference ab initio treatment to generate a more realistic description of the electronic structure of the four-coordinate form. Consistent with this finding, our computational data indicate that, in the five-coordinate Co(2+)Cbl species, the unpaired spin density is primarily localized in the Co 3d(z(2))-based molecular orbital, as expected, whereas in the four-coordinate form, extensive Co 3d orbital mixing, configuration interaction, and spin-orbit coupling cause the unpaired electron to delocalize over several Co 3d orbitals. These results provide important clues to the mechanism of enzymatic Co(2+)Cbl --> Co(1+)Cbl reduction.