Crystal and molecular structure of a five-coordinate zinc complex of meso-tetraphenyltetrabenzoprophyrin

Nonplanar porphyrins: synthesis, properties, and unique functionalities

Porphyrins are variously substituted tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, with wide-ranging biological and chemical applications derived from metal chelation in the core and the 18π aromatic surface. Under suitable conditions, the porphyrin framework can deform significantly from regular planar shape, owing to steric overload on the porphyrin periphery or steric repulsion in the core, among other structure modulation strategies. Adopting this nonplanar porphyrin architecture allows guest molecules to interact directly with an exposed core, with guest-responsive and photoactive electronic states of the porphyrin allowing energy, information, atom and electron transfer within and between these species. This functionality can be incorporated and tuned by decoration of functional groups and electronic modifications, with individual deformation profiles adapted to specific key sensing and catalysis applications. Nonplanar porphyrins are assisting breakthroughs in molecular recognition, organo- and photoredox catalysis; simultaneously bio-inspired and distinctly synthetic, these molecules offer a new dimension in shape-responsive host-guest chemistry. In this review, we have summarized the synthetic methods and design aspects of nonplanar porphyrin formation, key properties, structure and functionality of the nonplanar aromatic framework, and the scope and utility of this emerging class towards outstanding scientific, industrial and environmental issues.

Synthesis and investigation of tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrins for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide

We report the synthesis and electrochemical properties of freebase tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin and its complexes of Zn(ii), Co(ii), Ni(ii), Cu(ii) and Sn(iv) towards electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2). Based on cyclic voltammetry, it is shown that central metals significantly affect the electrocatalytic performance in the reduction of CO2 in terms of reduction potential and catalytic current enhancement. At an applied potential of -1.90 V vs. an Ag/AgCl quasi reference electrode for 20 h, the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 realized by Zn(ii)- and Cu(ii)-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrins to carbon monoxide resulted in faradaic efficiencies of around 48% and 33%, respectively.

Synthesis, electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical characterization of iron(III) tetraarylporphyrins containing four β,β′-butano and β,β′-benzo fused rings

Six iron(III) tetraarylporphyrins containing four [Formula: see text]-butano or [Formula: see text]-benzo fused rings were synthesized and characterized by electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry in nonaqueous media. The examined compounds are represented as butano(TpYPP)FeCl and benzo(TpYPP)FeCl, where TpYPP is a dianion of the meso-substituted porphyrin, Y is a CH[Formula: see text], H or Cl substituent on the para-position of the four meso-phenyl rings and butano and benzo are the [Formula: see text]-substituents on each of the four pyrrole rings of the compound. Up to three reductions are observed for each Fe(III) butano- and benzoporphyrin in CH[Formula: see text]Cl[Formula: see text] or pyridine containing 0.1 M TBAP, the first of which is assigned in each case to a metal-centered electron transfer. The second reduction is also metal-centered in CH[Formula: see text]Cl[Formula: see text] and leads to formation of an Fe(I) porphyrin, but it is porphyrin ring-centered and gives an Fe(II) porphyrin [Formula: see text]-anion radical reduction product when pyridine is used as the solvent. The effects of the solvent and type of fused ring system (butano or benzo) on the UV-vis spectra and electrochemical properties of the Fe(III) porphyrins are discussed and comparisons are made to both the structurally related non-[Formula: see text]-substituted iron porphyrins and earlier described butano- or benzotetraarylporphyrins containing Cu(II) or Co(II) central metal ions.

Cobalt Tetrabutano- and Tetrabenzotetraarylporphyrin Complexes: Effect of Substituents on the Electrochemical Properties and Catalytic Activity of Oxygen Reduction Reactions

Three series of cobalt tetraarylporphyrins were synthesized and characterized by electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry. The investigated compounds have the general formula (TpYPP)Co, butano(TpYPP)Co^II, and benzo(TpYPP)Co^II, where TpYPP represents the dianion of the meso-substituted porphyrin, Y is a CH₃, H, or Cl substituent on the para position of the four phenyl rings, and butano and benzo are respectively the β- and β'-substituted groups on the four pyrrole rings of the compound. Each porphyrin undergoes one or two reductions depending upon the meso substituent and solvent utilized. Two irreversible reductions are observed for (TpYPP)Co^II and butano(TpYPP)Co^II in CH₂Cl₂ containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate; the first leads to the formation of a highly reactive cobalt(I) porphyrin, which can then rapidly react with a solvent to give a Co^IIICH₂Cl as the product. Only one reversible reduction is seen for benzo(TpYPP)Co^II under the same solution conditions, and the one-electron-reduction product is assigned as a cobalt(II) porphyrin π-anion radical. Three oxidations can be observed for each examined compound in CH₂Cl₂. The first oxidation is metal-centered for the (TpYPP)Co and benzo(TpYPP)Co^II derivatives, leading to generation of a cobalt(III) porphyrin with an intact π-ring system, but this redox process is ring-centered in the case of butano(TpYPP)Co^II and gives a Co^II π-cation radical product. Each porphyrin was also examined as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) when adsorbed on a graphite electrode in 1.0 M HClO₄. The number of electrons transferred (n) during ORRs is 2.0 for the butano(TpYPP)Co^II derivatives, consistent with only H₂O₂ being produced as a product for the reaction with O₂. However, the reduction of O₂ using the cobalt benzoporphyrins as catalysts gave n values between 2.6 and 3.1 under the same solution conditions, thus producing a mixture of H₂O and H₂O₂ as the reduction product. This result indicates that the β and β' substituents have a significant effect on the catalytic properties of the cobalt porphyrins for ORRs in acid media.

Electrochemistry of platinum(II) porphyrins: effect of substituents and π-extension on redox potentials and site of electron transfer

Fourteen platinum(II) porphyrins with different π-conjugated macrocycles and different electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents were investigated as to their electrochemical and spectroscopic properties in nonaqueous media. Eight compounds have the formula (Ar(4)P)Pt(II), where Ar(4)P = the dianion of a tetraarylporphyrin, while six have π-extented macrocycles with four β,β'-fused benzo or naphtho groups and are represented as (TBP)Pt(II) and (TNP)Pt(II) where TBP and TNP are the dianions of tetrabenzoporphyrin and tetranaphthoporphyrin, respectively. Each Pt(II) porphyrin undergoes two reversible one-electron reductions and one to three reversible one-electron oxidations in nonaqueous media. These reactions were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry and in some cases by ESR spectroscopy. The two reductions invariably occur at the conjugated π-ring system to yield relatively stable Pt(II) π-anion radicals and dianions. The first oxidation leads to a stable π-cation radical for each investigated porphyrin; but in the case of tetraarylporphyrins containing electron-withdrawing substituents, the product of the second oxidation may undergo an internal electron transfer to give a Pt(IV) porphyrin with an unoxidized macrocycle. The effects of macrocycle structure on UV-visible spectra, oxidation/reduction potentials, and site of electron transfer are discussed.

Annulation and arylation stabilize new porphyrinoids

More pi, please! A free-base, benzannelated triphyrin with a [2.1.1] bridging pattern (1) and an azulene-derived tetracationic all-carbon porphyrinoid (2) are discussed. Compound 1 can be used to form metal triphyrin complexes, and 2 shows potential in molecular electronics and as a receptor for weakly binding anions.

Effects of structural deformations on optical properties of tetrabenzoporphyrins: free-bases and Pd complexes

A recently developed method of synthesis of pi-extended porphyrins made it possible to prepare a series of tetrabenzoporphyrins (TBP) with different numbers of meso-aryl substituents. The photophysical parameters of free-bases and Pd complexes of meso-unsubstituted TBP's, 5,15-diaryl-TBP's (Ar2TBP's) and 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-TBP's (Ar4TBP's) were measured. For comparison, similarly meso-arylsubstituted porphyrins fused with nonaromatic cyclohexeno-rings, i.e. Ar(n)-tetracyclohexenoporphyrins (Ar(n)TCHP's, n = 0, 2, 4), were also synthesized and studied. Structural information was obtained by ab initio (DFT) calculations and X-ray crystallography. It was found that: 1) Free-base Ar4TBP's are strongly distorted out-of-plane (saddled), possess broadened, red-shifted spectra, short excited-state lifetimes and low fluorescence quantum yields (tau(fl) = 2-3 ns, phi(fl) = 0.02-0.03). These features are characteristic of other nonplanar free-base porphyrins, including Ar4TCHP's. 2) Ar2TBP free-bases possess completely planar geometries, although with significant in-plane deformations. These deformations have practically no effect on the singlet excited-state properties of Ar2TBP's as compared to planar meso-unsubstituted TBP's. Both types of porphyrins retain strong fluorescence (tau(fl) = 10-12 ns, phi(fl) = 0.3-0.4), and their radiative rate constants (k(r)) are 3-4 times higher than those of planar H2TCHP's. 3) Nonplanar deformations dramatically enhance nonradiative decay of triplet states of regular Pd porphyrins. For example, planar PdTCHP phosphoresces with high quantum yield (phi(phos) = 0.45, tau(phos) = 1118 micros), while saddled PdPh4TCHP is practically nonemissive. In contrast, both ruffled and saddled PdAr(n)TBP's retain strong phosphorescence at ambient temperatures (PdPh2TBP: tau(phos) = 496 micros, phi(phos) = 0.15; PdPh4TBP: tau(phos) = 258 micros, phi(phos) = 0.08). It appears that pi-extension is capable of counterbalancing deleterious effects of nonplanar deformations on triplet emissivity of Pd porphyrins.

Synthesis and luminescence of soluble meso-unsubstituted tetrabenzo- and tetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrins

[Structure: see text]. Syntheses of soluble tetrabenzoporphyrins (TBP) and tetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrins (TNP), with multiple substituents in the conjugated aromatic rings but bearing no substituents in the meso-positions, is reported. Both types of porphyrins were obtained by direct aromatization of precursor porphyrins, annealed with either cyclohexene or dihydronaphthalene fragments. TBPs and TNPs possess powerful absorption bands in the near-infrared (lambda = 610-710 nm, epsilon = 100,000-300,000 M(-1) cm(-1)) and exhibit strong luminescence. Free bases and Zn complexes fluoresce with quantum yields of up to 50%, whereas Pd and Pt complexes phosphoresce in solutions at ambient temperatures. Remarkably, the phosphorescence quantum yields of Pd and Pt TBPs reach as high as 20-50%, which places them among the brightest near-infrared phosphors known to date.

Novel Versatile Synthesis of Substituted Tetrabenzoporphyrins

A novel general synthetic route to tetraaryltetrabenzoporphyrins (Ar(4)TBP) with various peripheral functional groups is developed. The procedure includes (i) Barton-Zard condensation of 1-nitro- or 1-phenylsulfonylcyclohexenes with isocyanoacetic acid esters, (ii) condensation of the resulting 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindoles with aromatic aldehydes to give fused tetraaryltetracylohexenoporphyrins (Ar(4)TCHP), and (iii) aromatization of the metal complexes of Ar(4)TCHP's into the corresponding Ar(4)TBP's. Cu and Zn complexes of Ar(4)TBP's are further demetalated to give the corresponding Ar(4)TBP free bases. The overall yields for the sequence range from 15% to 40%, making the method suitable for the preparation of gram quantities of Ar(4)TBP's in a single run. The scope of the method, the selection of the peripheral substituents, the choice of the metal ions, and their influence on the yields of aromatization are discussed. The basic spectroscopic properties of newly synthesized Ar(4)TBP's and Ar(4)TCHP's are reported together with the first X-ray crystallographic structure of the NiAr(4)TBP complex.

Porphyrin and tetrabenzoporphyrin dendrimers: tunable membrane-impermeable fluorescent pH nanosensors

The pH dependencies of the UV-vis and fluorescent spectra of new water-soluble dendritic porphyrins and tetrabenzoporphyrins were studied. Because of extended pi-conjugation and nonplanar distortion, the absorption and the emission bands of tetraaryltetrabenzoporphyrins (Ar(4)TBP) are red-shifted and do not overlap with those of regular tetraarylporphyrins (Ar(4)P). When encapsulated inside dendrimers with hydrophilic outer layers, Ar(4)Ps and Ar(4)TBPs become water soluble and can serve as pH indicators, with pK's adjustable by the peripheral charges on the dendrimers. Two new dendritic porphyrins, Gen 4 polyglutamic porphyrin dendrimer H(2)P-Glu(4)OH (1) with 64 peripheral carboxylates and Gen 1 poly(ester amide) Newkome-type tetrabenzoporphyrin dendrimer H(2)TBP-Nw(1)OH (2) with 36 peripheral carboxylates, were synthesized and characterized. The pK's of the encapsulated porphyrins (pK(H)()2(P)(-)(Glu)()4(OH) = 6.2 and pK(H)()2(TBP)(-)(Nw)()1(OH) = 6.3) were found to be strongly influenced by the dendrimers, revealing significant electrostatic shielding of the cores by the peripheral charges. The titration curves obtained by differential excitation using the mixtures of the dendrimers were shown to be identical to those determined for the dendrimers individually. Due to their peripheral carboxylates and nanometric molecular size, porphyrin dendrimers cannot penetrate through phospholipid membranes. Dendrimer 1 was captured inside phospholipid liposomes, which were suspended in a solution containing dendrimer 2. No response from 1 was detected upon pH changes in the bulk solution, while the response from 2 was predictably strong. When proton channels were created in the liposome walls, both compounds responded equally to the bulk pH changes. These results suggest that porphyrin dendrimers can be used as fluorescent pH indicators for proton gradient measurements.