Supramolecular organization of light-harvesting porphyrin macrorings

Synthesis and Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction of a Cyclic Zinc(II) Porphyrin Trimer with an Encapsulated Rhenium(I) Bipyridine Tricarbonyl Complex

We previously reported a cyclic Zn(II) porphyrin trimer in which three Zn porphyrins are alternately bridged by three 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) moieties, enabling the encapsulation of metal complexes within the nanopore formed by the Zn porphyrins. In this study, we introduced a [Re(CO)3 Br] fragment into one of the bpy moieties of the cyclic trimer to form the catalytic Re(4,4'-R2 -bpy)(CO)3 Br center (R=methyl ester). The ester groups (R) play an important role in the synthesis of the cyclic structure. However, it was observed that these ester groups significantly deactivated the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. Therefore, we converted the ester groups with a suitable reducing reagent into hydroxymethyl groups, followed by acetylation to form acetoxymethyl groups. This modification remarkably enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the cyclic trimer=Re complex system for CO2 reduction. Moreover, in the modified system, the presence of the Re complex induced room-temperature phosphorescence of the Zn porphyrin. The phosphorescence was significantly quenched by 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole, indicating that efficient electron transfer mediated by the excited triplet state of the Zn porphyrin occurs during the photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction sensitized by a special-pair mimic porphyrin connected with a rhenium(i) tricarbonyl complex

Zn porphyrins with an imidazolyl group at the meso position generate a highly stable porphyrin dimer by complementary coordination from the imidazolyl to the Zn ion in noncoordinating solvents such as chloroform, which mimics the natural special pair in photosynthesis. In this work, we have synthesized an imidazolyl-substituted Zn porphyrin connected with a Re 2,2-bipyridine tricarbonyl complex as a CO₂ reduction catalyst via a p-phenylene linker, affording a homodimer with two Re complexes on both sides (ReDRe). The dimeric structure is easily dissociated into the corresponding monomers in coordinating solvents. Therefore, we prepared a mixture containing a heterodimer with the Re carbonyl complex on one side (ReD) by simple mixing with an imidazolyl Zn porphyrin and evaporating the solvent. Using the Grubbs catalyst, the subsequent olefin metathesis reaction of the mixture gave covalently linked porphyrin dimers through the allyloxy side chains, enabling the isolation of the stable hetero- (ReD′) and homo-dimers (ReD′Re) with gel permeation chromatography. The Zn porphyrin dimers have intense absorption bands in the visible light region and acted as good photosensitizers in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction in a mixture of N,N-dimethylacetamide and triethanolamine (5 : 1 v/v) containing 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole as the electron donor, giving CO with high selectivity and durability. Under irradiation with strong light intensity, the reaction rate in ReD′ exceeded that of the previous porphyrin Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> Re complex dyad, ZnP-phen=Re. For instance, after irradiation at 560 nm for 18 h, the turnover number (TON_CO) of ReD′ reached 2800, whereas the TON_CO of ZnP-phen=Re was 170. The high activity in the system using the porphyrin dimer originates from no accumulation of the one-electron reduced species of the porphyrin that inhibit light absorption due to the inner-filter effect.

An artificial special pair was connected with a Re 2,2-bipyridine tricarbonyl complex. The special pair derivative acted as a good photosensitizer in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, giving CO with high selectivity and durability.

Modular Synthesis of trans-A2 B2 -Porphyrins with Terminal Esters: Systematically Extending the Scope of Linear Linkers for Porphyrin-Based MOFs

Differently functionalized porphyrin linkers represent the key compounds for the syntheses of new porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have gathered great interest within the last two decades. Herein we report the synthesis of a large range of 5,15-bis(4-ethoxycarbonylphenyl)porphyrin derivatives, through Suzuki and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions of an easily accessible corresponding meso-dibrominated trans-A2 B2 -porphyrin with commercially available boronic acids or terminal alkynes. The resulting porphyrins were fully characterized through NMR, MS, and IR spectroscopy and systematically investigated through UV/Vis absorption. Finally, selected structures were saponified to the corresponding carboxylic acids and subsequently proven to be suitable for the synthesis of surface-anchored MOF thin films.

Photocatalytic CO2 Reductions Catalyzed by meso-(1,10-Phenanthrolin-2-yl)-Porphyrins Having a Rhenium(I) Tricarbonyl Complex

We have prepared Zn and free-base porphyrins appended with a fac-Re(phen)(CO)3 Br (where phen is 1,10-phenanthroline) at the meso position of the porphyrin, and performed photocatalytic CO2 reduction using porphyrin-Re dyads in the presence of either triethylamine (TEA) or 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazole (BIH) as an electron donor. The Zn porphyrin dyad showed a high turnover number for CO production compared with the free-base porphyrin dyad, suggesting that the central Zn ion of porphyrin plays an important role in suppressing electron accumulation on the porphyrin part and achieving high durability of the photocatalytic CO2 reduction using both TEA and BIH. The effect of acids on the CO2 reduction was investigated using the Zn porphyrin-Re dyad and BIH. Acetic acid, a relatively strong Brønsted acid, rapidly causes the porphyrin's color to fade upon irradiation and dramatically decreases CO production, whereas proper weak Brønsted acids such as 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and phenol enhance the CO2 reduction.

Supramolecular Light-Harvesting Antennas of Metal-Coordinated Bis(8-Hydroxyquinoline)-Substituted Porphyrin Networks

Artificial antenna complexes of metal-coordinated bis(8-hydroxyquinoline)-substituted porphyrin networks that mimic antenna chromophores in plants were organized on titanium dioxide electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells. The generated photocurrents can be optimized according to the two ways of porphyrin self-assembly due to the "antenna effect": changing the number of assembled porphyrin monolayers and the number of generations of the metal-coordinated porphyrin networks.

Linear dichroism of visible-region chromophores using M13 bacteriophage as an alignment scaffold

It is a challenge within the field of biomimetics to recreate the properties of light-harvesting antennae found in plants and photosynthetic bacteria. Attempts to recreate these biological structures typically rely on the alignment of fluorescent moieties via attachment to an inert linear scaffold, e.g. DNA, RNA or amyloid fibrils, to enable Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between attached chromophores. While there has been some success in this approach, refinement of the alignment of the chromophores is often limited, which may limit the efficiency of energy transfer achieved. Here we demonstrate how linear dichroism spectroscopy may be used to ascertain the overall alignment of chromophores bound to the M13 bacteriophage, a model linear scaffold, and demonstrate how this may be used to distinguish between lack of FRET efficiency due to chromophore separation, and chromophore misalignment. This approach will allow the refinement of artificial light-harvesting antennae in a directed fashion.

Here we characterise four dyes and assess the complementarity of linear dichroism and FRET in biomimetic light-harvesting antennae optimisation.

Visualization of nonemissive triplet species of Zn(ii) porphyrins through Cu(ii) porphyrin emission via the reservoir mechanism in a porphyrin macroring

A macroring shows long-lived near-IR emission from Cu(ii) porphyrin via the reservoir mechanism. The significant emission quenching by O₂ suggests that the T₁ state of Zn(ii) porphyrin can be monitored by the near-IR emission.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Porphyrin Macrorings Composed of Free-Base Porphyrins and Slipped-Cofacial Zinc Porphyrin Dimers

The self-assembled macroring N-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ has been constructed by intermolecular complementary coordination among three trisporphyrin Zn-Fb-Zn molecules, each of which consists of a central free-base porphyrin and two imidazolyl-zinc-porphyrin ends. Thus, N-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ has three slipped-cofacial zinc porphyrin dimers ("special pair model") and three free-base porphyrins, alternately. The zinc porphyrin dimers in N-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ are covalently connected by a ring-closing olefin metathesis reaction between the allyl ether groups substituted on the zinc porphyrin dimers, giving a covalently linked macroring C-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃. The fluorescence spectra of C-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ in several solvents show that the photoinduced energy transfer from one of the zinc porphyrin dimers to a free-base porphyrin occurs intramolecularly in toluene, whereas the photoinduced electron transfer predominantly occurs intramolecularly in N,N-dimethylformamide. Treatment of C-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ with copper(II) acetate gives a Cu-containing heteromultinuclear porphyrin macroring C-(Zn-Cu-Zn)₃, demonstrating that C-(Zn-Fb-Zn)₃ could be a good precursor to construct various heteromultinuclear porphyrin macrorings.

Self-Assembly of Russian Doll Concentric Porphyrin Nanorings

Electronic communication between concentric macrocycles with wave functions that extend around their circumferences can lead to remarkable behavior, as illustrated by multiwalled carbon nanotubes and photosynthetic chlorophyll arrays. However, it is difficult to hold one π-conjugated molecular ring inside another. Here, we show that ring-in-ring complexes, consisting of a 6-porphyrin ring locked inside a 12-porphyrin ring, can be assembled by placing different metals in the two rings (zinc and aluminum). A bridging ligand with carboxylate and imidazole binding sites forms spokes between the two rings, resulting in a highly cooperative supramolecular self-assembly process. Excitation is transferred from the inner 6-ring to the outer 12-ring of this Russian doll complex within 40 ps. These complexes lead to a form of template-directed synthesis in which one nanoring promotes formation of a larger concentric homologous ring; here, the effective template is an eight-component noncovalent assembly. Russian doll templating provides a new approach to amplifying the size of a covalent nanostructure.

Multiporphyrin arrays with π-π interchromophore interactions

A recently reported synthetic method has been employed to prepare several arrays of free base and zinc porphyrins. In the arrays, the porphyrins are arranged around a central benzene ring. The lack of aryl rings in the linkages to the central benzene ring, coupled with the presence of only one meso-aryl substituent on each porphyrin, allows strong electronic interactions between the porphyrin macrocycles. In arrays containing two or six porphyrins, a variety of evidence indicates that the porphyrins exist as twist-stacked dimers reminiscent of the special pairs of bacteriochlorophylls found in some photosynthetic bacteria. These dimers feature van der Waals contact between the macrocycles, and demonstrate excitonic splitting due to π-π interactions. The excitonic effects split and blue-shift the Soret absorptions, and slightly broaden the Q-band absorptions and shift them to longer wavelengths. The interactions also lower the first oxidation potentials by ca. 100 mV, and the arrays show evidence for delocalization of the radical cation over both porphyrins in the dimer. The arrays demonstrate singlet-singlet energy transfer among the chromophores. Arrays of this type will be good models for some aspects of the interactions of photosynthetic pigments, including those of reaction center special pairs and possibly quantum coherence effects. They can also be useful in artificial photosynthetic constructs.

Ambient temperature synthesis of β,β′-fused nickel(ii) pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinoporphyrins via a DBSA-catalyzed Pictet–Spengler approach

Synthesis of novel β,β′-fused nickel(ii) pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazinoporphyrins is accomplished for the first time at ambient temperature via a DBSA-catalyzed Pictet–Spengler approach.

Porphyrinic supramolecular daisy chains incorporating pillar[5]arene–viologen host–guest interactions

Daisy chains and organogels have been prepared by utilising noncovalent interactions between viologens and pillar[5]arenes together with stacked porphyrins.

Metal-coordination-driven mixed ligand binding in supramolecular bisporphyrin tweezers

The mixed ligand polymers of Mg(ii)bisporphyrin with heterogeneous guest pairs have been synthesized just by mixing the host and guests in one pot and structurally characterized. The guest ligands are bound selectively between the inside and the outside of the bisporphyrin cavity.

Central metal ion determined self-assembly of intrinsically chiral porphyrins

The aggregation of a tetraaryl-porphyrin with chiral amide-containing side groups depends critically on the central metal ion in the tetrapyrrolic core, an effect shown dramatically in solution as well as in the gel formation by the compounds. In solution, the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the metalloporphyrins show that they all aggregate to some degree, and in most cases the aggregates of the metal-containing species is more favored than the parent free-base porphyrin. The compound which shows the greatest optical activity is the zinc(II) porphyrin which forms a J-aggregate with large Cotton effects in the CD spectrum. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that this aggregate is favored by interaction of the amide oxygen atom with the zinc(II) ion at the core of the porphyrin. The other metalloporphyrins, containing divalent copper, cobalt, and palladium or manganese(III) acetate all show CD activity, and all but the cobalt compound form gels in hexane or cyclohexane. The morphology of the xerogels formed after evaporation of the solvent from these gels depend greatly on the metal ion, with only the copper porphyrin — which shows a clear H-aggregate in solution — having a fibrous morphology