Tungsten Biscorroles: New Chiral Sandwich Compounds

Iridium(VII)-Corrole Terminal Carbides Should Exist as Stable Compounds

Scalar-relativistic DFT calculations with multiple exchange-correlation functionals and large basis sets foreshadow the existence of stable iridium(VII)-corrole terminal carbide derivatives. For the parent compound Ir[Cor](C), OLYP/STO-TZ2P calculations predict a short Ir-C bond distance of 1.69 Å, a moderately domed macrocycle with no indications of ligand noninnocence, a surprisingly low electron affinity of ∼1.1 eV, and a substantial singlet-triplet gap of ∼1.8 eV. These results, and their essential invariance with respect to the choice of the exchange-correlation functional, lead us to posit that Ir(VII)-corrole terminal carbide complexes should be isolable and indefinitely stable under ambient conditions.

Regioselective formylation of rhenium-oxo and gold corroles: substituent effects on optical spectra and redox potentials

Vilsmeier–Haack formylation of ReO and Au meso-triarylcorroles over 16–18 hours affords moderate to good yields (47–65%) of the ReO-3-formyl and Au-3,17-diformyl derivatives in a highly regioselective manner. Formylation was found to effect substantial upshifts for redox potentials (especially the reduction potentials) as well as significant to dramatic redshifts for both the Soret and Q bands.

Vilsmeier–Haack formylation of ReO and Au meso-triarylcorroles over 16–18 hours affords moderate to good yields (47–65%) of the ReO-3-formyl and Au-3,17-diformyl derivatives in a highly regioselective manner.

The Story of 5d Metallocorroles: From Metal-Ligand Misfits to New Building Blocks for Cancer Phototherapeutics

Porphyrin chemistry is Shakespearean: over a century of study has not withered the field’s apparently infinite variety. Heme proteins continually astonish us with novel molecular mechanisms, while new porphyrin analogues bowl us over with unprecedented optical, electronic, and metal-binding properties. Within the latter domain, corroles occupy a special place, exhibiting a unique and rich coordination chemistry. The 5d metallocorroles are arguably the icing on that cake.

New Zealand chemist Penny Brothers has used the word “misfit” to describe the interactions of boron, a small atom with a predilection for tetrahedral coordination, and porphyrins, classic square-planar ligands. Steve Jobs lionized misfits as those who see things differently and push humanity forward. Both perspectives have inspired us. The 5d metallocorroles are misfits in that they encapsulate a large 5d transition metal ion within the tight cavity of a contracted porphyrin ligand.

Given the steric mismatch inherent in their structures, the syntheses of some 5d metallocorroles are understandably capricious, proceeding under highly specific conditions and affording poor yields. Three broad approaches may be distinguished.

(a) In the metal–alkyl approach, a free-base corrole is exposed to an alkyllithium and the resulting lithio-corrole is treated with an early transition metal chloride; a variant of the method eschews alkyllithium and deploys a transition metal–alkyl instead, resulting in elimination of the alkyl group as an alkane and insertion of the metal into the corrole. This approach is useful for inserting transition metals from groups 4, 5, and, to some extent, 6, as well as lanthanides and actinides.

(b) In our laboratory, we have often deployed a low-valent organometallic approach for the middle transition elements (groups 6, 7, 8, and 9). The reagents are low-valent metal–carbonyl or −olefin complexes, which lose one or more carbon ligands at high temperature, affording coordinatively unsaturated, sticky metal fragments that are trapped by the corrole nitrogens.

(c) Finally, a metal acetate approach provides the method of choice for gold and platinum insertion (groups 10 and 11).

This Account provides a first-hand perspective of the three approaches, focusing on the last two, which were largely developed in our laboratory. In general, the products were characterized with X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, and a variety of spectroscopic methods. The physicochemical data, supplemented by relativistic DFT calculations, have provided fascinating insights into periodic trends and relativistic effects.

An unexpected feature of many 5d metallocorroles, given their misfit character, is their remarkable stability under thermal, chemical, and photochemical stimulation. Many of them also exhibit long triplet lifetimes on the order of 100 μs and effectively sensitize singlet oxygen formation. Many exhibit phosphorescence in the near-infrared under ambient conditions. Furthermore, water-soluble ReO and Au corroles exhibit impressive photocytotoxicity against multiple cancer cell lines, promising potential applications as cancer phototherapeutics. We thus envision a bright future for the compounds as rugged building blocks for new generations of therapeutic and diagnostic (theranostic) agents.

Relativity as a Synthesis Design Principle: A Comparative Study of [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Technetium(VII) and Rhenium(VII) Trioxo Complexes with Olefins

The difference in [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactivity between fac-[MO₃(tacn)]⁺ (M = Re, ⁹⁹Tc; tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane) complexes has been reexamined with a selection of unsaturated substrates including sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate, norbornene, 2-butyne, and 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (2MByOH). None of the substrates was found to react with the Re cation in water at room temperature, whereas the ⁹⁹Tc reagent cleanly yielded the [3 + 2] cycloadducts. Interestingly, a bis-adduct was obtained as the sole product for 2MByOH, reflecting the high reactivity of a ⁹⁹TcO-enediolato monoadduct. On the basis of scalar relativistic and nonrelativistic density functional theory calculations of the reaction pathways, the dramatic difference in reactivity between the two metals has now been substantially attributed to differences in relativistic effects, which are much larger for the 5d metal. Furthermore, scalar-relativistic ΔG values were found to decrease along the series propene > norbornene > 2-butyne > dimethylketene, indicating major variations in the thermodynamic driving force as a function of the unsaturated substrate. The suggestion is made that scalar-relativistic effects, consisting of greater destabilization of the valence electrons of the 5d elements compared with those of the 4d elements, be viewed as a new design principle for novel ^99mTc/Re radiopharmaceuticals, as well as more generally in heavy-element coordination chemistry.

Room temperature cycloaddition reactivity of fac-[⁹⁹TcO₃(tacn)]⁺ (tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane) with a variety of unsaturated substrates and the lack of such reactivity for fac-[ReO₃(tacn)]⁺ appears largely attributable to much stronger relativistic effects for Re relative to Tc, based on relativistic density functional theory calculations.

Chiral Interlocked Corrole Dimers Directly Linked at Inner Carbon Atoms of Confused Pyrrole Rings

A facile synthetic strategy towards conformationally stable chiral chromophores based on dimeric porphyrinoids has been established. A peculiar class of face-to-face intramolecularly interlocked corrole dimers were formed by the oxidative C-C coupling linked at the inner carbon sites upon simple treatment of copper(II) ions. Their intrinsic electronic structures were modulated by the peripheral corrole ring annulations, which lead to distinct optical properties and redox profiles. The stereogenic carbon centers implemented in the confused corrole skeleton provided a rationale for designing novel chiral materials.

Synthesis and molecular structure of perhalogenated rhenium-oxo corroles

As part of our efforts to develop rhenium-oxo corroles as photosensitizers for oxygen sensing and photodynamic therapy, we investigated the potential β-perhalogenation of five ReO meso-tris(para-X-phenyl)corroles, Re[TpXPC](O) (X = CF3, H, F, CH3, and OCH3), with elemental chlorine and bromine. With Cl2, β-octachlorinated products Re[Cl8TpXPC](O) were rapidly obtained for X = CF3, H, and CH3, but X = OCH3 resulted in overchlorination on the meso-aryl groups. Full β-octabromination proved slower relative to Cu and Ir corroles, but the desired Re[Br8TpXPC](O) products were finally obtained for X = H and F after a week at room temperature. For X = CH3 and OCH3, these conditions led to undecabrominated products Re[Br11TpXPC](O). Compared to the β-unsubstituted starting materials, the β-octahalogenated products were found to exhibit sharp 1H NMR signals at room temperature, indicating that the aryl groups are locked in place by the β-halogens, and substantially redshifted Soret and Q bands. Single-crystal X-ray structures of Re[Cl8TpCF3PC](O), Re[Cl8TpCH3PC](O), and Re[Br8TpFPC](O) revealed mild saddling for one Cl8 structure and the Br8 structure. These structural variations, however, appear too insignificant to explain the slowness of the β-octabromination protocols, which seems best attributed to the deactivating influence of the high-valent Re center.

Rhenium-Imido Corroles

Metallocorroles involving 5d transition metals are currently of interest as near-IR phosphors and as photosensitizers for oxygen sensing and photodynamic therapy. Their syntheses, however, are often bedeviled by capricious and low-yielding protocols. Against this backdrop, we describe rhenium-imido corroles, a new class of 5d metallocorroles, synthesized simply and in respectable (∼30%) yields via the interaction of a free-base corrole, Re₂(CO)₁₀, K₂CO₃, and aniline in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at ∼190 °C in a sealed vial under strict anaerobic conditions. The generality of the method was shown by the synthesis of six derivatives, including those derived from meso-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole, H₃[TPFPC], and five different meso-tris(p-X-phenyl)corroles, H₃[TpXPC], where X = CF₃, F, H, CH₃, OCH₃. Single-crystal X-ray structures obtained for two of the complexes, Re[TpFPC](NPh) and Re[TpCF₃PC](NPh), revealed relatively unstrained equatorial Re-N distances of ∼2.00 Å, a ∼ 0.7-Å displacement of the Re from the mean plane of the corrole nitrogens, and an Re-N_imido distance of ∼1.72 Å. Details of the corrole skeletal bond distances, diamagnetic ¹H NMR spectra, relatively substituent-independent Soret maxima, and electrochemical HOMO-LUMO gaps of ∼2.2 V all indicated an innocent corrole macrocycle. Surprisingly, unlike several other classes of 5d metallocorroles, the Re-imido complexes proved nonemissive in solution at room temperature and also failed to sensitize singlet oxygen formation, indicating rapid radiationless deactivation of the triplet state, presumably via the rapidly rotating axial phenyl group. By analogy with other metal-oxo and -imido corroles, we remain hopeful that the Re-imido group will prove amenable to further elaboration and thereby contribute to the development of a somewhat challenging area of coordination chemistry.

Electrophilic Activation of Osmium-Nitrido Corroles: The OsN Triple Bond as a π-Acceptor Metallaligand in a Heterobimetallic OsVIN-PtII Complex

Presented herein is a first investigation of the chemical reactivity of osmium-nitrido corroles, which are known for their unusual thermal, chemical, and photochemical stability. Elemental chlorine perchlorinates the β-positions of the triarylcorrole but leaves the OsN unit untouched. The OsN unit is also unaffected by a variety of other electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents. Upon photolysis, however, the anion of Zeise's salt associates with the nitrido ligand to generate an Os^VI≡N-Pt^II complex. The very short OsN-Pt linkage [1.895(9)-1.917(8) Å] and the downfield ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR resonance (-2702 ppm) suggest that the OsN corrole acts as a π-accepting ligand toward the Pt(II) center. This finding represents a rare example of the successful photochemical activation of a metal-ligand multiple bond that is too kinetically inert to exhibit any appreciable reactivity under thermal conditions.

Unexpected Molecular Structure of a Putative Rhenium-Dioxo-Benzocarbaporphyrin Complex. Implications for the Highest Transition Metal Valence in a Porphyrin-Type Ligand Environment

A combination of quantum chemical calculations and synthetic studies was used to address the possibility of very high (>6) valence states of transition metals in porphyrin-type complexes. With corrole as a supporting ligand, DFT calculations ruled out Re(VII) and Ir(VII) dioxo complexes as stable species. Attempted rhenium insertion into benzocarbaporphyrin (BCP) ligands on the other hand led to two products with different stoichiometries - Re[BCP]O and Re[BCP]O2. To our surprise, single-crystal structure determination of one of the complexes of the latter type indicated an ReVO center with a second oxygen bridging the Re-C bond. In other words, although the monooxo complexes Re[BCP]O are oxophilic, the BCP ligand cannot sustain a trans-ReVII(O)2 center. The search for metal valence states >6 in porphyrin-type ligand environments must therefore continue.

Seven Clues to Ligand Noninnocence: The Metallocorrole Paradigm

Noninnocent ligands do not allow an unambiguous definition of the oxidation state of a coordinated atom. When coordinated, the ligands also cannot be adequately represented by a classic Lewis structure. A noninnocent system thus harbors oxidizing (holes) or reducing equivalents (electrons) that are delocalized over both the ligand and the coordinated atom. To a certain degree, that is true of all complexes, but the phenomenon is arguably most conspicuous in complexes involving ligands with extended π-systems. The electronic structures of such systems have often been mischaracterized, thereby muddying the chemical literature to the detriment of students and newcomers to the field. In recent years, we have investigated the electronic structures of several metallocorrole families, several of which have turned out to be noninnocent. Our goal here, however, is not to present a systematic account of the different classes of metallocorroles, but rather to focus on seven major tools (in a nod to A. G. Cairns-Smith's Seven Clues to the Origin of Life) that led us to recognize noninnocent behavior and subsequently to characterize the phenomenon in depth. (1) The optical probe: For a series of noninnocent meso-triarylcorrole derivatives with different para substituents X, the Soret maxima are typically exquisitely sensitive to the nature of X, red-shifting with increasing electron-donating character of the group. No such substituent sensitivity is observed for the Soret maxima of innocent triarylcorrole derivatives. (2) Quantum chemistry: Spin-unrestricted density functional theory calculations permit a simple and quick visualization of ligand noninnocence in terms of the spin density profile. Even for an S = 0 complex, the broken-symmetry method often affords a spin density profile that, its fictitious character notwithstanding, helps visualize the intramolecular spin couplings. (3) NMR and EPR spectroscopy: In principle, these two techniques afford experimental probes of the electronic spin density. (4) Structure/X-ray crystallography. Ligand noninnocence in metallocorroles is often reflected in small but distinct skeletal bond length alternations in and around the bipyrrole part of the macrocycle. In addition, for Cu and some Ag corroles, ligand noninnocence manifests itself via a strong saddling of the macrocycle. (5) Vibrational spectroscopy. Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned bond length alternations translate to structure-sensitive vibrational marker bands. (6) Electrochemistry. Noninnocent metallocorroles exhibit characteristically high reduction potentials, but caution should be exercised in turning the logic around. A high reduction potential does not necessarily signify a noninnocent metallocorrole; certain high-valent metal centers also undergo metal-centered reduction at quite high potentials. (7) X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). By focusing on a given element, typically the central atom in a coordination complex, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) can provide uniquely detailed local information on oxidation and spin states, ligand field strength, and degree of centrosymmetry. For metallocorroles, some of the most clear-cut distinctions between innocent and noninnocent systems have come from the K-edge XANES of Mn and Fe corroles. For researchers faced with a new, potentially noninnocent system, the take-home message is to employ a good majority (i.e., at least four) of the above methods to arrive at a reliable conclusion vis-à-vis noninnocence.

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy as a Probe of Ligand Noninnocence in Metallocorroles: The Case of Copper Corroles

The question of ligand noninnocence in Cu corroles has long been a topic of discussion. Presented herein is a Cu K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) study, which provides a direct probe of the metal oxidation state, of three Cu corroles, Cu[TPC], Cu[Br8TPC], and Cu[(CF3)8TPC] (TPC = meso-triphenylcorrole), and the analogous Cu(II) porphyrins, Cu[TPP], Cu[Br8TPP], and Cu[(CF3)8TPP] (TPP = meso-tetraphenylporphyrin). The Cu K rising-edges of the Cu corroles were found to be about 0-1 eV upshifted relative to the analogous porphyrins, which is substantially lower than the 1-2 eV shifts typically exhibited by authentic Cu(II)/Cu(III) model complex pairs. In an unusual twist, the Cu K pre-edge regions of both the Cu corroles and the Cu porphyrins exhibit two peaks split by 0.8-1.3 eV. Based on time-dependent density functional theory calculations, the lower- and higher-energy peaks were assigned to a Cu 1s → 3d x2- y2 transition and a Cu 1s → corrole/porphyrin π* transition, respectively. From the Cu(II) porphyrins to the corresponding Cu corroles, the energy of the Cu 1s → 3d x2- y2 transition peak was found to upshift by 0.6-0.8 eV. This shift is approximately half that observed between Cu(II) to Cu(III) states for well-defined complexes. The Cu K-edge XAS spectra thus show that although the metal sites in the Cu corroles are more oxidized relative to those in their Cu(II) porphyrin analogues, they are not oxidized to the Cu(III) level, consistent with the notion of a noninnocent corrole. The relative importance of σ-donation versus corrole π-radical character is discussed.

Relativistic Effects on a Metal-Metal Bond: Osmium Corrole Dimers

A series of metal-metal bonded osmium corrole dimers, {Os[T pXPC]}₂, were synthesized in reasonably good yields (35-46%) via the interaction of the corresponding free-base meso-tris( p-X-phenyl)corroles (H₃[T pXPC], X = CF₃, H, CH₃, and OCH₃), Os₃(CO)₁₂, and potassium carbonate in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene under an inert atmosphere at 180 °C over several hours. The complexes are only the second class of Os corroles reported to date (the first being Os^VIN corroles) and also the second class of metal-metal bonded metallocorrole dimers (the other being Ru corrole dimers). Comparison of the X-ray structures, redox potentials, and optical spectra of analogous Ru and Os corrole dimers, along with scalar-relativistic DFT calculations, has provided an experimentally calibrated account of relativistic effects in these complexes. Three of the Os corrole dimers (X = CF₃, H, and OCH₃) were analyzed with single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, revealing inversion-related corrole rings with eclipsed Os-N bonds and Os-Os distances of ∼2.24 Å that are ∼0.06 Å longer than the Ru-Ru distances in the analogous Ru corrole dimers. Interestingly, a comparison of scalar-relativistic and nonrelativistic DFT calculations indicates that this difference in metal-metal bond distance does not, in fact, reflect a differential relativistic effect. For a given corrole ligand, the Ru and Os corrole dimers exhibit nearly identical oxidation potentials but dramatically different reduction potentials, with the Os values ∼0.5 V lower relative to Ru, suggesting that whereas oxidation occurs in a ligand-centered manner, reduction is substantially metal-centered, which indeed was confirmed by scalar-relativistic calculations. The calculations further indicate that approximately a third of the ∼0.5 V difference in reduction potentials can be ascribed to relativity. The somewhat muted value of this relativistic effect appears to be related to the finding that reduction of an Os corrole dimer is not exclusively metal-based but that a significant amount of spin density is delocalized over to the corrole ligand; in contrast, reduction of an Ru corrole dimer occurs exclusively on the Ru-Ru linkage. For isoelectronic complexes, the Ru and Os corrole dimers exhibit substantially different UV-vis spectra. A key difference is a strong near-UV feature of the Os series, which in energy terms is blue-shifted by ∼0.55 V relative to the analogous feature of the Ru series. TDDFT calculations suggest that this difference may be related to higher-energy Os(5d)-based LUMOs in the Os case relative to analogous MOs for Ru.

Rare and Nonexistent Nitrosyls: Periodic Trends and Relativistic Effects in Ruthenium and Osmium Porphyrin-Based {MNO}7 Complexes

Relativistic and nonrelativistic density functional theory calculations were used to investigate rare or nonexistent ruthenium and osmium analogues of nitrosylhemes. Strong ligand field effects and, to a lesser degree, relativistic effects were found to destabilize {RuNO}7 porphyrins relative to their {FeNO}7 analogues. Substantially stronger relativistic effects account for the even greater instability and/or nonexistence of {OsNO}7 porphyrin derivatives.

Stable Platinum(IV) Corroles: Synthesis, Molecular Structure, and Room-Temperature Near-IR Phosphorescence

A series of stable Pt(IV) corrole complexes with the general formula Pt^IV[TpXPC](m/p-C₆H₄CN)(py), where TpXPC^3- is the trianion of a tris(p-X-phenyl)corrole and X = CF₃, H, and CH₃, has been synthesized, affording key physicochemical data on a rare and elusive class of metallocorroles. Single-crystal X-ray structures of two of the complexes revealed very short equatorial Pt-N distances of 1.94-1.97 Å, an axial Pt-C distance of ∼2.03 Å, and an axial Pt-N distance of ∼2.22 Å. The complexes exhibit Soret maxima at ∼430 nm, which are essentially independent of the meso-aryl para substituents, and strong Q bands with the most intense peak at 595-599 nm. The substituent-independent Soret maxima are consistent with an innocent Pt^IV-corrole^3- description for the complexes. The low reduction potentials (-1.45 ± 0.08 V vs saturated calomel reference electrode) also support a highly stable Pt(IV) ground state as opposed to a noninnocent corrole^•2- description. The reductions, however, are irreversible, which suggests that they involve concomitant cleavage of the Pt-aryl bond. Unlike Pt(IV) porphyrins, two of the complexes, Pt^IV[TpXPC](m-C₆H₄CN)(py) (X = CF₃ and CH₃), were found to exhibit room-temperature near-IR phosphorescence with emission maxima at 813 and 826 nm, respectively. The quantum yield of ∼0.3% is comparable to those observed for six-coordinate Ir(III) corroles.

Halterman Corroles and Their Use as a Probe of the Conformational Dynamics of the Inherently Chiral Copper Corrole Chromophore

Halterman corroles have been synthesized for the first time from pyrrole and Halterman's aldehyde via Gryko's "water-methanol method". These were derivatized to the corresponding copper complexes and subsequently to the β-octabromo complexes. Electronic circular dichroism spectra were recorded for the enantiopure copper complexes, affording the first such measurements for the inherently chiral Cu corrole chromophore. Interestingly, for a given configuration of the Halterman substituents, X-ray crystallographic studies revealed both P and M conformations of the Cu-corrole core, proving that the substituents, even in conjunction with β-octabromination, are unable to lock the Cu-corrole core into a given chirality. The overall body of evidence strongly indicates a dynamic equilibrium between the P and M conformations. Such an interconversion, which presumably proceeds via saddling inversion, provides a rationale for our failure so far to resolve sterically hindered Cu corroles into their constituent enantiomers by means of chiral HPLC.

Relativistic effects in metallocorroles: comparison of molybdenum and tungsten biscorroles

The homoleptic sandwich compounds - Mo and W biscorroles - have afforded a novel platform for experimental studies of relativistic effects. A 200 mV difference in reduction potential and a remarkable 130 nm shift of a near-IR spectral feature have been identified as manifestations of relativistic effects on the properties of these complexes.

Metallocorroles as inherently chiral chromophores: resolution and electronic circular dichroism spectroscopy of a tungsten biscorrole

An inherently chiral metallocorrole has been resolved for the first time by means of HPLC on a chiral stationary phase. For the compound in question, a homoleptic tungsten biscorrole, the absolute configurations of the enantiomers were assigned using online HPLC-ECD measurements in conjunction with time-dependent CAM-B3LYP calculations, which provided accurate simulations of the ECD spectra.

Viking Helmet Corroles: Activating Inert Oxidometal Corroles

Chemically inert oxidometal(V) corrols of molybdenum and rhenium undergo clean ligand-exchange reactions upon the action of SiCl₄ . The resulting dichlorido complexes show trigonal prismatic coordination of the metal ion with the chlorine atoms residing in a cis configuration, and were studied by optical and resonance spectroscopy as well as DFT calculations. In situ reactivity studies with carbon nucleophiles indicate high reactivity for chlorine replacement. Treatment with sodium cyclopentadienide paves the way to robust molybdenum corrolocene half-sandwich complexes. These organometallic compounds are the first corrole species that stabilize an air-stable and diamagnetic low spin d² -Mo^IV center. Structural, spectroelectrochemical, and chemical investigations prove a reversible Mo^IV /Mo^V redox couple close to the Fc/Fc⁺ potential for these systems. The high stability of the compounds in both redox states calls for future applications in catalysis and as redox switch.

Electronic Structure of Corrole Derivatives: Insights from Molecular Structures, Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry, and Quantum Chemical Calculations

Presented herein is a comprehensive account of the electronic structure of corrole derivatives. Our knowledge in this area derives from a broad range of methods, including UV-vis-NIR absorption and MCD spectroscopies, single-crystal X-ray structure determination, vibrational spectroscopy, NMR and EPR spectroscopies, electrochemistry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations, the latter including both density functional theory and ab initio multiconfigurational methods. The review is organized according to the Periodic Table, describing free-base and main-group element corrole derivatives, then transition-metal corroles, and finally f-block element corroles. Like porphyrins, corrole derivatives with a redox-inactive coordinated atom follow the Gouterman four-orbital model. A key difference from porphyrins is the much wider prevalence of noninnocent electronic structures as well as full-fledged corrole^•2- radicals among corrole derivatives. The most common orbital pathways mediating ligand noninnocence in transition-metal corroles are the metal(d_z2)-corrole("a_2u") interaction (most commonly observed in Mn and Fe corroles) and the metal(d_x2-y2)-corrole(a_2u) interaction in coinage metal corroles. Less commonly encountered is the metal(d_π)-corrole("a_1u") interaction, a unique feature of formal d⁵ metallocorroles. Corrole derivatives exhibit a rich array of optical properties, including substituent-sensitive Soret maxima indicative of ligand noninnocence, strong fluorescence in the case of lighter main-group element complexes, and room-temperature near-IR phosphorescence in the case of several 5d metal complexes. The review concludes with an attempt at identifying gaps in our current knowledge and potential future directions of electronic-structural research on corrole derivatives.

Strategies for Corrole Functionalization

This review covers the functionalization reactions of meso-arylcorroles, both at the inner core, as well as the peripheral positions of the macrocycle. Experimental details for the synthesis of all known metallocorrole types and for the N-alkylation reactions are presented. Key peripheral functionalization reactions such as halogenation, formylation, carboxylation, nitration, sulfonation, and others are discussed in detail, particularly the nucleophilic aromatic substitution and the participation of corroles in cycloaddition reactions as 2π or 4π components (covering Diels-Alder and 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions). Other functionalizations of corroles include a large diversity of reactions, namely Wittig reactions, reactions with methylene active compounds, formation of amines, amides, and imines, and metal catalyzed reactions. At the final section, the reactions involving oxidation and ring expansion of the corrole macrocycle are described comprehensively.

Synthesis and Molecular Structure of 99 Tc Corroles

The first ⁹⁹ Tc corroles have been synthesized and fully characterized. A single-crystal X-ray structure of a ⁹⁹ TcO triarylcorrole revealed nearly identical geometry parameters as the corresponding ReO structure. A significant spectral shift between the Soret maxima of TcO (410-413 nm) and ReO (438-441 nm) corroles was observed and, based on two-component spin-orbit ZORA TDDFT calculations, ascribed to relativistic effects in the Re case. The syntheses reported herein potentially pave the way toward ^99m Tc-porphyrinoid-based radiopharmaceuticals.