Synthesis and Reactivity of Carbachlorins and Carbaporphyrins

21-Carba-23-selenaporphyrinoid Dyads-An Azepine Unit as a Merging Motif

The oxidation of 10,15-diaryl-21-carba-23-selenaporphyrinoids resulted in the creation of dyads. The dimerization process follows a [5+2] cycloaddition path with the formation of an azepine unit. The arrays display two direct bonds between the peripheral carbocyclic carbon atoms of one carbaselenaporphyrinic subunit and the central carbon and nitrogen atoms of the second subunit. This results in a unique canted arrangement of two carbaporphyrinoid planes resembling an open seashell-like motif.

Linear Extension of Carbaporphyrin Chromophores: Synthesis, Protonation, and Metalation of Anthro[2,3-b]carbaporphyrins: Evidence for 30π-Electron Aromatic Circuits in a Palladium(II) Complex

Acid-catalyzed condensation of a naphtho[2,3-f]indane dialdehyde with a tripyrrane, followed by an oxidation step, afforded an anthro[2,3-b]-21-carbaporphyrin. The presence of a fused anthracene unit induced minor bathochromic shifts and did not significantly affect the aromatic characteristics of the carbaporphyrin core. Protonation led to the formation of a monocation with similar diatropic properties, but the dication generated in the presence of a large excess of trifluoroacetic acid had a weakened Soret band absorption and a broad absorption at 754 nm. Nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) calculations indicate that the dication is only weakly aromatic and possesses a 32-atom 30π electron delocalization pathway. Alkylation with methyl iodide and potassium carbonate gave a 22-methyl derivative that reacted with palladium(II) acetate to afford an aromatic palladium(II) complex. Upon heating, the methyl group migrated from the nitrogen to the internal carbon atom and the resulting complex exhibited diminished aromatic character. A comparison with related carbaporphyrin complexes without ring fusion or with benzo- or naphtho-fused units demonstrated that the diatropic character decreased with increasing conjugation. NICS calculations and anisotropy of induced current density (AICD) plots confirmed this trend and showed that the remaining aromatic properties of the anthrocarbaporphyrin complex were due to a 30π electron circuit that extends around the entire anthracene unit.

Aromatic Character and Relative Stability of Pyrazoloporphyrin Tautomers and Related Protonated Species: Insights into How Pyrazole Changes the Properties of Carbaporphyrinoid Systems

Pyrazoloporphyrins (PzPs), which are porphyrin analogues incorporating a pyrazole subunit, are examples of carbaporphyrin-type structures with a carbon atom within the macrocyclic cavity. DFT calculations were used to assess a series of 17 PzP tautomers, nine monoprotonated species and four related diprotonated PzP dications. The geometries of the structures were optimized using M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p), and the relative stabilities computed with the cc-PVTZ functional. Nucleus independent chemical shifts, both NICS(0) and NICS(1)_zz, were calculated, and the anisotropy of the induced current density (AICD) plots were generated for all of the species under investigation. The results for free base PzPs show that fully aromatic PzP tautomers are not significantly more stable than weakly aromatic cross-conjugated species. In addition, strongly aromatic structures with internal CH_2's are much less stable, a feature that is also seen for protonated PzPs. The degree of planarity for the individual macrocycles does not significantly correlate with the stability of these structures. The results allow significant aromatic conjugation pathways to be identified in many cases, and provide insights into the aromatic properties of this poorly studied system. These investigations also complement experimental results for PzPs and emphasize the need for further studies in this area.

Organometallic chemistry confined within a porphyrin-like framework

The world of modified porphyrins changed forever when an N-confused porphyrin (NCP), a porphyrin isomer, was first published in 1994. The replacement of one inner nitrogen with a carbon atom revolutionised the chemistry that one is able to perform within the coordination cavity. One could explore new pathways in the organometallic chemistry of porphyrins by forcing a carbon fragment from the ring or an inner substituent to sit close to an inserted metal ion. Since the NCP discovery, a series of modifications became available to tune the coordination properties of the cavity, introducing a fascinating realm of carbaporphyrins. The review surveys all possible carbatetraphyrins(1.1.1.1) and their spectacular coordination and organometallic chemistry.

Organometallic Chemistry within the Structured Environment Provided by the Macrocyclic Cores of Carbaporphyrins and Related Systems

The unique environment within the core of carbaporphyrinoid systems provides a platform to explore unusual organometallic chemistry. The ability of these structures to form stable organometallic derivatives was first demonstrated for N-confused porphyrins but many other carbaporphyrin-type systems were subsequently shown to exhibit similar or complementary properties. Metalation commonly occurs with catalytically active transition metal cations and the resulting derivatives exhibit widely different physical, chemical and spectroscopic properties and range from strongly aromatic to nonaromatic and antiaromatic species. Metalation may trigger unusual, highly selective, oxidation reactions. Alkyl group migration has been observed within the cavity of metalated carbaporphyrins, and in some cases ring contraction of the carbocyclic subunit takes place. Over the past thirty years, studies in this area have led to multiple synthetic routes to carbaporphyrinoid ligands and remarkable organometallic chemistry has been reported. An overview of this important area is presented.

21-Carba-23-oxaporphyrinoids and 21-oxo-21-carba-23-oxaporphyrinoids: macrocyclic π-conjugation involving the carbonyl moiety

Aromaticity of 21-oxo-21-carba-23-oxachlorin resulted from a predominant dipolar contributor. Nonaromaticity of 21-oxo-21-carba-23-oxaporphyrin reflects a participation of canonical aromatic and antiaromatic forms engaged in a peculiar “tug of war”.

Magnetically induced ring currents in naphthalene-fused heteroporphyrinoids

The magnetically induced current density of an intriguing naphthalene-fused heteroporphyrin has been studied, using the quantum-chemical, gauge-including magnetically induced currents (GIMIC) method. The ring-current strengths and current-density pathways for the heteroporphyrin, its Pd complex, and the analogous quinoline-fused heteroporphyrin provide detailed information about their aromatic properties. The three porphyrinoids have similar current-density pathways and are almost as aromatic as free-base porphyrin. Notably, we show that the global ring current makes a branch at three specific points. Thus, the global current is composed of a total of eight pathways that include 22 π-electrons, with no contributions from 18-electron pathways.

Synthesis and Characterization of N-Methylporphyrins, Heteroporphyrins, Carbaporphyrins, and Related Systems

MacDonald-type "3 + 1" condensations of an N-methyltripyrrane with a series of dialdehydes afforded a matched set of N-methylporphyrins, N-methylheteroporphyrins, N-methyloxybenziporphyrin, N-methyloxypyriporphyrin, N-methyltropiporphyrin, and a N-methylcarbaporphyrin aldehyde. meso-Unsubstituted heteroporphyrins have been little explored previously, and this strategy was also used to prepare N-unsubstituted 21-oxa-, 21-thia-, and 21-selenaporphyrins. In every case, the N-methylporphyrinoids exhibited weaker, bathochromically shifted UV-Vis absorptions compared to their core unsubstituted congeners. However, proton NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that these derivatives retained strong diamagnetic ring currents and the presence of the internal alkyl substituents had little effect on the global aromatic characteristics. Nevertheless, the UV-Vis spectra of N-methyl-oxybenzi- and N-methyl-oxypyriporphyrins were dramatically altered and gave greatly weakened absorptions. N-Methyl-oxybenzi- and N-methyltropiporphyrins reacted with palladium(II) acetate to give stable palladium(II) complexes, demonstrating that N-alkylation alters the metalation properties for these carbaporphyrinoids. The organometallic derivatives also retained strongly aromatic properties, and the proton NMR spectra showed the N-methyl resonances near -3 ppm. N-Methylcarbaporphyrin-2-carbaldehyde also gave a palladium(II) complex, but this gradually rearranged at higher temperatures to afford a C-methyl complex. The results demonstrate that core alkylation of porphyrinoids greatly alters the reactivity and spectroscopic properties for these systems.

Dicarba[26]hexaporphyrinoids(1.1.1.1.1.1) with an Embedded Cyclopentene Moiety-Conformational Switching

Incorporation of cyclopentene fragments into a skeleton of parental [26]hexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1) afforded extended carbaporphyrinoids: 31,34-dicarbahexa[26]chlorin and its derivatives: the first externally substituted by ethoxy and 2,4,6-trimethylbenzylidene groups and the second one formed by selective oxidation of one cyclopentene ring. Macrocycles adopt dumbbell-shaped conformations with two meso hydrogen atoms located inside the macrocyclic cavity. Protonation of 31,34-dicarba[26]hexachlorins provided dications existing in dumbbell-shaped and rectangular conformations.

Synthesis of internally alkylated azuliporphyrins

Examples of internally alkylated azuliporphyrins were prepared by MacDonald-type “3 + 1” condensations. 2-Methyl- and 2-ethylazulene reacted with an acetoxymethylpyrrole in the presence of an acid catalyst to give azulitripyrranes. Following cleavage of the terminal protective groups, condensation with a diformylpyrrole in the presence of hydrochloric acid and oxidation with ferric chloride afforded 21-alkylazuliporphyrins. An azulene dialdehyde similarly reacted with an [Formula: see text]-methyltripyrrane to generate a 23-methylazuliporphyrin. The products could only be isolated in protonated form and the free-base internally alkylated azuliporphyrins proved to be unstable. Nevertheless, the dications are highly diatropic and the internal alkyl group resonances were shifted upfield to beyond -3 ppm. Reaction of a 23-methylazuliporphyrin with palladium(II) acetate primarily afforded a palladium(II) complex with loss of the internal methyl substituent. However, two palladium(II) benzocarbaporphyrins were also identified that were formed by sequential oxidative ring contraction and methyl group migration. Internally alkylated azuliporphyrins provide new insights into the reactivity of the system and the results show that the introduction of alkyl substituents within porphyrinoid cavities greatly modifies the properties of these structures.

21-Carbaporphyrin: a cyclopentadiene moiety entrapped into a porphyrin scaffold

This minireview underscores the chemistry of 21-carbaporphyrins containing a plain cyclopentadiene moiety. Thus the cyclopentadiene incorporation afforded two 21-carbaporphyrin series represented by meso-tetraaryl-21-carbaporphyrin and [Formula: see text]-alkylated 21-carbaporphyrin with their properties evidently controlled by the nature of perimeter substitution. The synthetic strategy, physicochemical characterization and some insight in coordination properties of 21-carbaporphyrins have been illustrated. The formation of palladium(II), rhodium(III) and gold(III) meso-tetraaryl-21-carbaporphyrins via unprecedented intramolecular contractions of meta-benzi- or para-benziporphyrins has been also addressed.

Alkylation, metalation and ring contraction of tropiporphyrin

Tropiporphyrins are an intriguing class of carbaporphyrinoids that incorporate a cycloheptatriene subunit. Previous investigations have shown that this system acts as a trianionic ligand that can form stable silver(III) complexes. In this work, tropiporphyrin was reacted with excess methyl iodide and potassium carbonate in refluxing acetone to give an internally alkylated derivative. The reaction occurred regioselectively to introduce a methyl group onto the 24-position. Reaction with palladium(II) acetate afforded a palladium(II) complex that retained the [Formula: see text]-methyl substituent. In contrast, reaction of [Formula: see text]-unsubstituted tropiporphyrin with palladium(II) acetate gave two palladium(II) benziporphyrins, one of which possessed a formyl substituent. Although these organometallic derivatives were obtained in relatively low yields, the observation of unexpected ring contraction products demonstrates that the reactivity of the tropiporphyrin system deserves to be further investigated.

Azulichlorins and Benzocarbachlorins Derived Therefrom

Acid-catalyzed condensation of azulidipyrrane aldehydes with a dihydrodipyrrin carbaldehyde afforded the first examples of azulichlorins. These macrocyclic products were isolated in a monoprotonated form, and the free bases proved to be somewhat unstable. The monocations were strongly diatropic, and proton NMR spectroscopy showed the internal C-H at ca. -2 ppm. Addition of TFA gave the related dications, but these exhibited significantly reduced aromatic ring currents. Reaction of an azulichlorin with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and KOH in dichloromethane/methanol gave a benzocarbachlorin and two related aldehydes. The UV-vis spectrum for the benzocarbachlorin showed a split Soret band at 414 and 430 nm, together with a strong chlorin-like absorption at 684 nm. The proton NMR spectrum indicated that the carbachlorin is strongly aromatic and the internal C-H was observed at -4.64 ppm. Addition of TFA afforded a C-protonated dication with a significantly increased diatropic ring current. The proton NMR spectrum, NICS calculations, and AICD plots indicated that the system favors a 22π electron delocalization pathway that runs through the fused benzo unit. Addition of TFA to the benzocarbachlorin aldehydes primarily led to the formation of monocations, and the generation of C-protonated dications was no longer favored due to the presence of electron-withdrawing formyl moieties.

Local versus global aromaticity in azuliporphyrin and benziporphyrin derivatives

Carbaporphyrinoids afford fascinating examples of competition between local and global aromaticity in conjugated, polycyclic systems. Thus, whereas density functional theory calculations reveal only a modest effect of metal complexation on the current density profiles of true carbaporphyrins and azuliporphyrins, the impact is much greater for benziporphyrins, underscoring a strong competition between local and global aromaticity in the latter system. Furthermore, the calculations shed light on the remarkable efficacy of suitably placed electron-donating substituents on the benzene ring in boosting the global diatropic currents in a metallobenziporphyrin.

Bond Rotation in an Aromatic Carbaporphyrin: Allyliporphyrin

Allyliporphyrin is a carbaporphyrin that has replaced one pyrrole with an allyl group. Dynamic behavior (bond rotation) was observed by variable temperature ¹ H NMR and 2D-NOESY NMR spectroscopy and theoretically examined by DFT calculations. These studies revealed that well-defined bond rotation was first observed in the limited space of the carbaporphyrin from 2 through cis-2 and the calculated rotational barrier was low enough, with the relative energy level of cis-2 only 0.65 kcal mol^-1 higher than 2. The synthesized allyliporphyrin (2) is a strongly aromatic macrocycle as indicated by the chemical shifts of its inner NH and CH signals. However, its palladium complex displayed reduced aromaticity due to the tilted thiophene of Pd-2.

Alphabet soup within a porphyrinoid cavity: synthesis of heterocarbaporphyrins with CNNO, CNOO, CNSO and CNSeO Cores from an oxacarbatripyrrin

The first examples of porphyrin analogues with four different core atoms have been synthesized from an oxacarbatripyrrin intermediate.

Late transition metal complexes of oxypyriporphyrin and the platinum(II) complex of oxybenziporphyrin

Even though oxypyriporphyrin, a pyridone-containing porphyrinoid system, has the equivalent coordination core to true porphyrins, its coordination chemistry has been little explored. In this study, the first examples of palladium(II), platinum(II) and silver(II) oxypyriporphyrins have been synthesized. Conventional conditions failed to result in the formation of a platinum(II) complex, but moderate yields were obtained when oxypyriporphyrin was reacted with platinum(II) chloride in refluxing mixtures of DMF and acetic acid containing potassium acetate. The palladium(II) and platinum(II) derivatives were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The structurally analogous carbaporphyrinoid system oxybenziporphyrin was also shown to react with platinum(II) chloride under the same conditions to give a platinum(II) hydroxybenziporphyrin complex. Unlike oxybenziporphyrin, this complex is only weakly diatropic. In the presence of base, the diatropic character was reasserted to afford an aromatic anionic species.

An alternative synthesis of benziporphyrins starting from isophthaloyl chloride

An alternative route to benziporphyrins has been developed. Reaction of an [Formula: see text]-unsubstituted pyrrole ethyl ester with isophthaloyl chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride afforded a diketone that underwent selective reduction with diborane to give a benzitripyrrane. Cleavage of the ethyl esters with sodium hydroxide in refluxing ethylene glycol, followed by acid catalyzed condensation with a pyrrole dialdehyde and oxidation with DDQ, generated the targeted benziporphyrin product. Spectrophotometric titration of the benziporphyrin with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) demonstrated the sequential formation of mono- and dicationic species. At lower dilutions, the free base benziporphyrin showed unusually strong [Formula: see text] coupling between two adjacent methyl substituents, indicating that the connecting unit has substantial olefinic characteristics.

Synthesis and Properties of Carbaporphyrin and Carbachlorin Dimethyl Esters Derived from Cyclopentanedialdehydes

Norbornenes with two ester substituents were prepared by Diels-Alder cycloadditions of cyclopentadiene with dimethyl fumarate and dimethyl 1,1-ethylenedicarboxylate. Oxidation with potassium permanganate gave good yields of related diols that were oxidatively ring-opened to afford cyclopentane dialdehydes. MacDonald-type "3 + 1" condensations with a tripyrrane, followed by oxidation with DDQ in refluxing toluene, gave carbaporphyrin or carbachlorin products in good yields. The macrocyclic products were highly diatropic and produced porphyrin-like UV-vis spectra. The carbaporphyrin was converted into silver(III) and gold(III) organometallic derivatives. Reaction with methyl iodide in the presence of potassium carbonate gave mono- and dialkylation products, and treatment of the former with Ni(OAc)₂ or Pd(OAc)₂ afforded nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes. The free base carbaporphyrin and carbachlorin, and the nickel and palladium complexes, were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The carbachlorin also reacted with silver(I) acetate to give a silver(III) derivative. Carbaporphyrins and carbachlorins underwent deuterium exchange at the meso-positions with deuteriated TFA, and this observation indicates that protonation is occurring at the bridging carbons. The new route to carbaporphyrins and carbachlorins has enabled detailed studies on the properties of these systems and provides the foundations for future investigations.

Closed-shell paramagnetic porphyrinoids

Magnetizabilities and magnetically induced ring-current strength susceptibilities have been calculated at the Hartree–Fock, density functional theory and second order Møller–Plesset levels for a number of antiaromatic closed-shell carbaporphyrins, carbathiaporphyrins and isophlorins.

What’s in a name? The MacDonald condensation

In 1960, MacDonald and coworkers introduced a new method for porphyrin synthesis that involved the acid-catalyzed condensation of dipyrrylmethane dialdehydes with [Formula: see text],[Formula: see text]-diunsubstituted dipyrrylmethanes or the related dicarboxylic acids, followed by an air oxidation. The key bond forming steps entail electrophilic substitution at two pyrrole units with the aldehyde moieties to generate, following elimination of water, a 5,15-dihydroporphyrin or porphodimethene intermediate. Following addition of sodium acetate, or in later procedures zinc acetate, the dihydroporphyrins readily air oxidize to the fully aromatic porphyrin system. This strategy, which parallels chemistry contemporaneously developed by R. B. Woodward at Harvard for the total synthesis of chlorophyll [Formula: see text], demonstrated that dipyrrylmethanes were sufficiently stable to be utilized as intermediates in porphyrin syntheses and that porphodimethene formation circumvented acidolytic scrambling reactions that might lead to isomeric porphyrin products. This type of chemistry was later adapted by Johnson, Woodward and others to prepare porphyrin-type systems by a “3 + 1” strategy, or expanded porphyrins by “3 + 2” or other combinations of oligopyrrolic precursors. In recent years, the term “MacDonald condensation” has been increasingly used to describe other types of chemistry involving oligopyrrolic intermediates. Following on from a historical review of this area, guidelines for the identification of MacDonald-type reactions are proposed.

Regioselective oxidation and metalation of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins

Azuliporphyrins are intriguing porphyrin analogues that incorporate an azulene ring in place of a pyrrolic unit. This system undergoes regioselective oxidation reactions and favors the formation of stable organometallic derivatives. Reaction of meso-unsubstituted azuliporphyrins with Co₂(CO)₈ or CoCl₂·6H₂O gave 21-oxyazuliporphyrins, while Cu(OAc)₂ produced the corresponding copper(ii) complexes. Treatment of an oxyazuliporphyrin with Ni(OAc)₂ or Pd(OAc)₂ afforded analogous nickel(ii) and palladium(ii) derivatives. Silver(i) acetate in pyridine reacted with azuliporphyrins to give moderate yields of silver(iii) benzocarbaporphyrins, and the prevalence of structures with a formyl moiety at the sterically crowded 2¹-position suggested that the ring contraction reactions were triggered in part by intramolecular attack from an axial peroxide ligand. Related thiaazuliporphyrins reacted with palladium(ii) acetate to give palladium(ii) benzothiacarbaporphyrins but this chemistry did not give rise to structures with 2¹-formyl groups, suggesting that the ring contraction reactions occurred by a different mechanistic pathway. These results demonstrate the existence of a rich tapestry of oxidation and metalation reactions for azuliporphyrin systems.

Rhodium(i), rhodium(iii) and iridium(iii) carbaporphyrins

Treatment of a benzocarbaporphyrin with [Rh(CO)2Cl]2 in refluxing dichloromethane gave a rhodium(i) dicarbonyl complex, and further reaction in refluxing pyridine afforded an organometallic rhodium(iii) derivative. The carbaporphyrin also reacted with [Ir(COD)Cl]2 and pyridine in refluxing p-xylene to generate a related iridium(iii) compound. These novel metalated porphyrinoids retained strongly diatropic characteristics and were fully characterized by XRD.

Out of the Blue! Azuliporphyrins and Related Carbaporphyrinoid Systems

First reported in 1997, azuliporphyrins have proven to be a truly remarkable family of porphyrin analogues. In this system, although the porphyrin framework is retained, one of the pyrrolic moieties has been replaced by an azulene unit. Azulene favors electrophilic substitution at the 1,3-positions, which are structurally analogous to the α-positions in pyrrole, and this property facilitates the construction of azulene-containing porphyrinoid systems. Azuliporphyrins were first prepared from tripyrranes and 1,3-azulenedicarbaldehyde using a "3 + 1" variant on the MacDonald reaction. Subsequently, azulenes were shown to react with acetoxymethylpyrroles under acidic conditions to generate azulitripyrranes that could be utilized in a back-to-front "3 + 1" methodology to form azuliporphyrins and related heteroporphyrinoids. In addition, the favorability of azulenes toward 1,3-substitution was applied to one-pot syntheses of tetraarylazuliporphyrins and calix[4]azulenes. Azuliporphyrins have significant diatropic character that is greatly enhanced upon protonation. They have been shown to form organometallic complexes with Ni(II), Pd(II), Pt(II), Ir(III), Rh(III), and Ru(II) and undergo selective oxidations at the internal carbon with copper(II) or silver(I) salts to afford 21-oxyazuliporphyrins. In addition, oxidative ring contractions readily occur under basic conditions in the presence of peroxides to give benzocarbaporphyrins, and this reactivity provides access to tetraarylbenzocarbaporphyrins and their organometallic derivatives. A diazulenylmethane dialdehyde has been shown to react with dipyrrylmethanes in the presence of HCl or HBr to give diazuliporphyrins that were isolated in a monoprotonated form, and metalation with palladium(II) acetate afforded a stable zwitterionic palladium(II) complex. Equally intriguing dicarbaporphyrinoids incorporating indene and azulene rings have been reported, and these systems exhibit significant aromatic character. Recent studies have demonstrated that calixazulenes form supramolecular complexes with quaternary ammonium salts and afford a 1:1 complex with C60. In addition, conjugated structures have been prepared from calixazulenes that are structurally related to quatyrin, the theoretically important hydrocarbon analogue of the porphyrins. Examples of expanded azuliporphyrinoids have also been described. These azulene-containing porphyrinoids exhibit unique and complex reactivity that compares favorably with better studied porphyrin analogue systems such as the N-confused porphyrins, and azuliporphyrin derivatives show promise in the development of new catalytic systems.

New insights into aromatic pathways of carbachlorins and carbaporphyrins based on calculations of magnetically induced current densities

The aromatic pathways of carbaporphyrins and carbachlorins that are based on magnetically induced current density DFT-GIMIC calculations are presented and discussed.