Tripyrrin-armed isosmaragdyrins: synthesis, heterodinuclear coordination, and protonation-triggered helical inversion

Making and Breaking Helical Open-Chain Oligopyrroles

Closed-chain oligopyrroles such as porphyrins or corroles have been well-established in literature and experience a steadily strong interest by several fields of science. However, their open-chain derivatives are comparatively underrepresented, despite their intriguing properties and promising applications. Here, we aim to review typical synthetic routes, as well as point towards several emergent properties, marking them as interesting candidates for various fields of study. The review focuses on two traditional methods (each starting from highly symmetric metalloporphyrins) and then expands its scope towards more recent variations before moving on to more exotic and recent highlights that have yet to be included into the canon. Key chemical reactivities (ring closure, substitution and fragmentation) are then followed by notable physicochemical properties, placing special emphasis on potential uses in molecular electronics and sensors.

Mono- and bis-Pd(ii) complexes of N-confused dithiahexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.0) with the absorption and aromaticity modulated by Pd(ii) coordination, macrocycle contraction and ancillary ligands

To further enrich the coordination chemistry of hexaphyrins and probe the underlying property-structural correlations, N-confused dithiahexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.0) (1) with 26 π-electron Hückel aromaticity was synthesized. Based on its unprecedented two unsymmetrical cavities, five palladium complexes 2, 3, 4-Ph, 4-Cl and 5 have been successfully synthesized under various coordinations. Thus, two mono-Pd(ii) complexes 2 and 3 with the Pd(ii) atom coordinated in the two different cavities were obtained by treating 1 with palladium reagents PdCl2, and (PPh3)2PdCl2 respectively. On this basis, bis-Pd(ii) complexes 4-Ph and 4-Cl were synthesized by treating 2 and 3 with (PPh3)2PdCl2 and PdCl2, respectively. As a result, both 4-Ph and 4-Cl contain two Pd(ii) atoms coordinated within the two cavities, with one of the Pd(ii) atoms further coordinated to a triphenylphosphine ligand in addition to an anionic ancillary ligand of Ph- and Cl-, respectively. Notably, a further contracted mono-Pd(ii) complex 5 was synthesized by treating 1 with Pd(PPh3)4 by eliminating one of the meso-carbon atoms together with the corresponding C6F5 moiety. These complexes present tunable 26 π aromaticity and NIR absorption up to 1060 nm. This work provides an effective approach for developing distinctive porphyrinoid Pd(ii) complexes from a single porphyrinoid, without resorting to tedious syntheses of a series of porphyrinoid ligands.

Resolution of Expanded Porphyrinoids: A Path to Persistent Chirality and Appealing Chiroptical Properties

Chirality is a fundamental characteristic of nature. Expanded porphyrinoids and their analogues offer an attractive platform for delving into the intricacies of chirality. Expanded porphyrinoids comprise pyrrolic macrocycles and related heterocyclic systems. As a class, expanded porphyrinoids are widely recognized for their flexible structural features, nontrivial coordination capabilities, and intriguing optical and electronic properties. With limited exceptions, their inherent conformational flexibility coupled with a low racemization barrier allows for the facile interchange between enantiomers. As a result, achieving the effective chiral resolution of individual enantiomers and the subsequent exploration of their chiroptical properties represents a significant challenge. This review summarizes strategies used to realize the chiral resolution of expanded porphyrinoids and the understanding of intrinsic chiroptical properties that has emerged from these separation efforts. It is our hope that this review will serve not only to codify our current understanding of chiral expanded porphyrinoids, but also inspire advances in the generalized area of chiral functional materials.

Orbital Polarization-Dependent Fragment Twist-Induced Intramolecular Electric-Field-Driven Charge Transfer

Defects, such as twisting, in fused aromatic hydrocarbons disrupt the plane of the π orbital. The twisted structure induces an electric field in the system and affects the spectra. In this work, theoretical studies show that the intramolecular electric field within a distinctly twisted structure is larger than that of other molecules. In addition, the spectral study shows that the degree of charge transfer and the magnetic transition dipole in the electrostatic potential extremum region of the molecular electric field were significantly improved, which affected the optical absorption and chiral optical behavior of the molecule. The discovery of this theoretical regulation law will provide a solid foundation for the electric-field-induced regulation of optical properties and will promote the precise design and synthesis of optoelectronic molecules with inner electric fields.

Antiaromatic Sapphyrin Isomer: Transformation into Contracted Porphyrinoids with Variable Aromaticity

Sapphyrin is a pentapyrrolic expanded porphyrin with a 22π aromatic character. Herein, we report the synthesis of a 20π antiaromatic sapphyrin isomer 1 by oxidative cyclization of a pentapyrrane precursor P₅ with a terminal β-linked pyrrole. The resulting isomer 1, containing a mis-linked bipyrrole unit in the skeleton, exhibits a reactivity for further oxidation due to the distinct antiaromatic electronic structure, affording a fused macrocycle 2, possessing a spiro-carbon-containing [5.6.5.6]-tetracyclic structure. Subsequent treatment with an acid afforded a weakly aromatic pyrrolone-appended N-confused corrole 3, and thermal fusion gave a [5.6.5.7]-tetracyclic-ring-embedded 14π aromatic triphyrin(2.1.1) analog 4. The cyclization at the mis-linked pyrrole moiety of P₅ played a crucial role in synthesizing the antiaromatic porphyrinoid susceptible to facile transformation to novel porphyrinoids with variable aromaticity.

Chain Length Modulated Dimerization and Cyclization of Terminal Thienyl-Blocked Oligopyrranes

Oxidation of thienyl-blocked bilane and pentapyrrane afforded chain length dependent products of the symmetric dimer D1 and the thienyloligopyrrin-appended pentaphyrin analogue P2, respectively, with the latter formed by simultaneous dimerization and cyclization. Coordination of D1 and P2 with Cu(II) afforded di- and monometallic complexes D1-Cu2 and P2-Cu, respectively. These compounds exhibit distinct NIR absorption, with the absorption tail of D1-Cu2 extended to ca. 1900 nm despite its smaller conjugation framework than that of P2-Cu.

Creation from Confusion and Fusion in the Porphyrin World─The Last Three Decades of N-Confused Porphyrinoid Chemistry

Confusion is a novel concept of isomerism in porphyrin chemistry, delivering a steady stream of new chemistry since the discovery of N-confused porphyrin, a porphyrin mutant, in 1994. These days, the number of confused porphyrinoids is increasing, and confusion and associated fusion are found in various fields such as supramolecular chemistry, materials chemistry, biological chemistry, and catalysts. In this review, the birth and growth of confused porphyrinoids in the last three decades are described.

Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Palladium(II) Complex of α-Formyl Pyrrolyl Dipyrromethene

A simple α-formyl pyrrolyl dipyrromethene ligand was synthesized by deboronation of BF2-complex of α-formyl pyrrolyl dipyrrin under Lewis acid-catalyzed conditions. The α-formyl pyrrolyl dipyrrin ligand was treated with PdCl2 in...

A Chiral Metal-Organic 1D-Coordination Polymer Upon Complexation of Phenylene-Bridged Bipyrrole and Palladium (II) Ion

Metal-organic 1D-coordination polymers, having unique electronic and optical properties, are expected to be a novel advanced functional material capable of fabricating smart plastics, films, and fibers. In this study, we have synthesized a novel metal-organic 1D-coordination polymer composed of a phenylene-bridged bipyrrole bearing N-alkylimino groups (BPI) and palladium(II) ion. The BPI and Pd(II) form square planar bis(bidentate) complex to form a metal coordinated π-conjugation polymer (Poly-BPI/Pd). It is stable in solutions at room temperature, and allowed measurement of its average molecular weight in SEC (M w = 106,000 and M n = 18,000, M w/M n = 5.88). It also provided a reversible multi redox profile in cyclic voltammetry, most likely originating from strong π-electronic interactions between the BPI components via Pd ion. A variety of substituent groups can be attached to the imino-nitrogens of BPI. A coordination polymer composed of a BPI derivative bearing chiral alkyl chains and Pd(II) showed strong circular dichroism (CD) in the solution due to the unidirectional chiral conformation of the BPI components in the polymer backbone.

Twisted-Planar-Twisted expanded porphyrinoid dimer as a rudimentary reaction-based methanol indicator

Directly linked porphyrin dimers have attracted considerable attention because of their intriguing electronic features. Most emphasis has been placed on either dimers with large dihedral angles between the constituent planar monomeric subunits or those with overall planarity, referred to as "Planar-Twisted-Planar" and "Planar-Planar-Planar", respectively. Herein, we report a "Twisted-Planar-Twisted" framework, the hexaphyrin dimer D that exists in a trans configuration. Treatment of D with MeOH affords two isomeric dimers, MD1 and MD2, both of which incorporate a methoxy moiety and exist in cis orientations with respect to the tethering linkage. The methanol-promoted conversion is accompanied by a readily discernible color change from green to brown and is not induced to an appreciable level by other alcohols. Dimer D thus acts as a rudimentary, albeit highly selective, reaction-based methanol indicator. This work provides a promising approach for constructing reaction-based chemosensors using porphyrinoid dimers of nonplanar subunits with biased reactivity.

Iterative Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-coupling/Bromo-desilylation Reaction Sequences for the Assembly of Chemically Well-defined, Acyclic Oligopyrrole/Benzenoid Hybrids Embodying Mixed Modes of Connectivity

Syntheses of a range of chemically well-defined oligopyrrole/benzenoid hybrids are described using tandem Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling/bromo-desilyation reaction sequences for linking borylated pyrroles, halogenated pyrroles and/or dibromobenzenes to one another. By such means, including iterative variants, a range of all α-linked, all β-linked oligopyrroles as well as certain combinations thereof have been assembled, some of them for the first time. The conductivities of iodine-treated thin films formed from certain such systems have been determined.

Circular linkage of intramolecular multi-hydrogen bonding frameworks through nucleophilic substitutions of β-dicarbonyls onto cyanuric chloride and subsequent tautomerisation

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyanuric chloride with a series of β-dicarbonyls give triply β-dicarbonyl-embedded 1,3,5-triazines. Their subsequent but spontaneous tautomeric transformation leads to circularly linked, intramolecular, multi-hydrogen bonding networks. Their structural elucidation by X-ray crystallography showed elongated double bonds and shortened single bonds. This is likely due to a resonance hybrid formed via tautomerisation and simultaneous proton transfer.

Triply β-dicarbonyl-embedded 1,3,5-triazine derivatives result in formation of circular linkage of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding interactions, which can be regarded as well-delocalized resonance hybrids.