Syntheses of aryl- and arylethynyl-substituted N-confused porphyrins

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions under Suzuki, Sonogashira, and Stille conditions afford 3-aryl (9-12) and 3-arylethynyl N-confused porphyrin (NCP) silver(III) complexes (13-15) from the 3-bromo NCP complex (4) in ca. 70% yields along with the transmetalated products, 3-substituted NCP palladium(II) complexes (11-Pd to 15-Pd), in 10-30% yields. Substitution at 3-position was confirmed by the single crystal X-ray structures of 9, 13-Ag, and 13-Pd. The arylethynyl groups or five-membered heterocyclic aromatic rings at 3-position largely affected the optical properties of N-confused porphyrin, in which the longest absorption maxima of the Q-bands are shifted bathochromically by 30-120 nm. The electronic effect of substituent differs largely between palladium and silver complexes reflecting the different π-electron delocalization pathway of NCP cores. 3-Aryl- and 3-arylethynyl NCP silver(III) complexes were easily demetalated to afford the corresponding free base porphyrins by the treatment of sodium borohydride.     

Synthesis and characterizations of free base and Cu(II) complex of a porphyrin sheet

Free base porphyrin sheet 5 was prepared by demetalation of zinc complex 1, which was now more conveniently prepared in 30% yield by oxidation of a mixture of tetraporphyrins, 8, 9, and 11. The ¹H NMR spectrum of 5 shows no indication of an aromatic ring current for the porphyrin rings and evidences the freezing of the pyrrolic NH protons at the most inner and outer corner positions, both of which contrast sharply with strong aromatic ring currents and rapid NH tautomerism of normal porphyrins. DFT calculations supported the experimental results, suggesting that the enforced planar COT core causes these unique properties. The free base 5 was transformed into Cu(II) complex 6 that exhibits antiferromagnetic interaction among the Cu(II) ions with J=−1.16 cm⁻¹.     

Synthesis of three-dimensionally arranged porphyrin arrays via intramolecular meso-meso coupling

The synthesis and photophysical properties of three-dimensionally arranged porphyrin arrays with through-space electronic communication are reported. 1,3,5-Trioxamethylphenylene bridged Zn(II) porphyrin trimer 3 was coupled by Ag(I)-promoted oxidative coupling reaction to give porphyrin cage 5 comprising three meso-meso linked diporphyrins, which was then transformed by oxidation with DDQ and Sc(OTf)₃ into porphyrin cage 7 comprising three fused diporphyrins. Intramolecular meso-meso coupling reaction was applied to porphyrin pentamer 11 to provide porphyrin array 12 consisting of a porphyrin core flanked by two meso-meso linked diporphyrins. Further oxidation of 12 with DDQ and Sc(OTf)₃ afforded triply stacked porphyrin array 13 that is comprised of a porphyrin core flanked by two porphyrin tapes. UV-vis-NIR absorption and fluorescence spectra of 5, 7, 12, and 13 showed their distorted conformations and electronic interaction within the stacked porphyrin arrays.     

Synthesis of β,β′-edge fused, π-extended porphyrins and their applications in the dye-sensitized solar cells

Four π-extended, β,β′ aromatic ring fused porphyrins including mono- and opp-dibenzoporphyrins bearing two carboxyl groups at only one fused benzo group were synthesized. The optical results by UV–vis spectroscopy indicate that when compared with the absorption spectra of monobenzoporphyrins, greater light-harvesting capabilities can be realized for opp-dibenzoporphyrins with two benzo group at the opposite β,β′ positions of the porphyrin. The photovoltaic properties of these π-extended porphyrins were examined for the first time and the highest conversion efficiency of 1.62% was realized for opp-dibenzoporphyrin 8a-sensitized solar cell, which is ∼60% higher than that of monobenzoporphyrin 4a based solar cell indicating the effect of an extra aromatic π conjugation on the light-harvesting capabilities of π-extended porphyrins. Subsequent DFT calculation results supported our results obtained in the optical and photovoltaic studies.     

Rational design of donor–π–acceptor n-butyl-1,8-naphthalimide-cored branched molecules as charge transport and luminescent materials for organic light-emitting diodes

Four D–π–A bipolar molecules with n-butyl-1,8-naphthalimide (BNI) fragments as acceptors, acetylenes as π-spacers, and different aromatic groups as donors have been designed to explore their optical, electronic, and charge transport properties as charge transport and luminescent materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and local density of states analysis have turned out that the vertical electronic transitions of absorption and emission are characterized as intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). The calculated results show that their optical and electronic properties are affected by the different donors of the bipolar molecules. Our results suggest that D–π–A 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives with donors triphenylamine (1), 1-nitrobenzene (2), anisole (3), and 4-phenylbenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (4) fragments are expected to be promising luminescent materials. Furthermore, 2–4 are expected to be promising candidates for both electron and hole transport materials as well as potential ambipolar charge transport material, whereas BNI and 1 can serve as hole transfer materials only. We have also predicted the mobility of 4 with better performance in three different space groups. On the basis of investigated results, we proposed a rational way for the design of charge transport and/or luminescent materials simultaneously.     

Structures and properties of novel 5,15-di[4-(5-acetylsulfanylpentyloxy)phenyl] porphyrin derivatives: Density functional theory calculations

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out in order to compare the molecular structures, atomic charges, molecular orbitals, electronic absorption spectra, and infrared (IR) spectra of the metal-free 5,15 -di[4-(5-acetylsulfanylpentyloxy) phenyl]porphyrin H₂[DPP(OC₅H₁₀SCOCH₃)₂] (1) (DPP = 5,15-diphenylporphyrin) and its zinc complex Zn[DPP(OC₅H₁₀SCOCH₃)₂] (2), which exhibit novel structures with two 5-acetylsulfanylpentyloxy side chains at the para-positions of opposite meso-attached phenyl groups. The calculated molecular structure and electronic absorption and IR spectra of 1 and 2 are consistent with the experimental results. The influences of meso-substitution, polar solvents, and central metal substitution on the structure and properties of porphyrin derivatives have been investigated by comparing the corresponding data for 1 and 2 with the help of data for the unsubstituted porphyrin derivatives, namely the metal-free porphyrin H₂Por (3) and the porphyrinato-zinc compound (4). The identities of the main transitions in the electronic absorption spectra of 1 and 2 are assigned and the vibrational modes in their IR spectra are identified with the assistance of animated pictures produced based on normal coordinates. The theoretical work presented here will be helpful in increasing our understanding of the structure and spectroscopic properties, as well as substituent and solvent effects, for these novel porphyrin compounds.     

Oxidation and ring cleavage reactions of 3-benzhydrylchromones. Generation of triarylmethine cations from methylidenechroman-4-ones and benzopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazoles

The oxidation of 3-[bis-(diaryl)methyl]chromones 2 with p-chloranil affords novel acetals, 3-[bis-(diaryl)methylene]-2-methoxychroman-4-ones, 4 through interception of a pyrylium type intermediate. Oxidation of 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-[bis-(diaryl)methyl]pyrazoles 8, derived from 2 and hydrazines, gave 4,4-diarylbenzopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazoles 15. The electronic absorption spectra of 4 and 15 upon protonation are comparable with those of triarylmethine cationic dyes.     

Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes containing N-aryl picolinamide ancillary ligands

The reaction of the cyclometalated chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer, [(ppy)₂ Ir(μ-Cl)]₂ (ppy - 2-phenyl pyridine) with N-aryl picolinamides (LH, LH-NO₂, LH-CH₃, LH-l, LH-F) resulted in the formation of neutral heteroleptic complexes [Ir(ppy)₂L] (1), [Ir(ppy)₂L-NO₂](2), [Ir(ppy)₂L-CH₃](3), [Ir(ppy)₂L-Cl](4) and [Ir(ppy)₂L-F] (5). These complexes contain a six-coordinate iridium with a 2C, 4N coordination environment. The N-aryl picolinamide ligands are deprotonated during complexation and the resulting amidates bind to iridium in a chelating manner (N, N). Optical spectroscopic studies revealed that the complexes 1-5 exhibited intense π→π^∗ absorptions in the ultraviolet region. In addition low energy transitions due to ¹MLCT, ¹LLCT and ³MLCT are also seen. The emission spectra of 1-5, upon excitation at 450 nm, show a single emission with a λ_max around 513 nm. The lifetimes of this emission are in between 7.4 and 9.6 μs while the quantum yields are quite high and range from 0.2 to 0.5. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations on 1 and 3, the three highest occupied orbitals are composed of ligand π orbitals mixed with Ir-d orbitals while the three lowest unoccupied orbitals are mostly π orbitals of the ligands. From the time dependent DFT calculations it is revealed that the lowest energy electronic singlet and triplet excitations are a mixture of MLCT and LLCT.     

Cationic porphyrins with inverted pyridinium groups and their fluorescence properties

One of the applications of cationic porphyrins is their use in microbial photodynamic inactivation (PDI). For this purpose there is a constant quest for new cationic photoactive derivatives. In this work, we synthesized and fully characterized a new porphyrin 3a and the corresponding cationic derivative 3b. The results presented here show that meso-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (TPPF₂₀, 1) can be used as scaffold to prepare different soluble compounds with interesting photophysical properties.     

Synthesis and structural properties of porphyrin analogues of bacteriochlorophyll c

The self-assembling photosynthetic pigment bacteriochlorophyll c contains α-hydroxyethyl and keto groups on opposite sides of the macrocycle. A porphyrin has been synthesized that contains a 3-hydroxymethyl group and a 15-ethoxycarbonyl group (ZnP2-OH). X-ray analysis of ZnP2-OH and the related porphyrin containing 5-hydroxymethyl and 15-ethoxycarbonyl groups (ZnP1-OH) in each case revealed infinite coordination polymers wherein the zinc porphyrins are bound by Zn-O coordination and are cofacially offset in a staircase architecture.     

Synthesis and properties of novel methanofullerenes having ethylthienyl and/or n-pentyl group for photovoltaic cells

Novel methanofullerenes 3 having ethylthienyl and/or n-pentyl groups were designed and synthesized for the purpose of developing new acceptors for an organic photovoltaic cell with higher performance than that of the [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butylic acid methyl ester (PCBM) used as the standard acceptor. The electronic absorption spectra and cyclic voltammetry (CV) of 3, PCBM, and [6,6]-(thiophene-2-yl)-C₆₁-butylic acid methyl ester (ThCBM) were measured to estimate solubility and reduction potentials as characteristics of n-type semiconductor for organic photovoltaic devices. The CV measurements revealed reversible reduction waves for all of the methanofullerenes and the first reduction potentials of the n-pentyl-substituted 1-(5-ethylthiophene-2-yl)-[6,6]-methanofullerene[60] (3b) and 1-phenyl-[6,6]-methanofullerene[60] (3c) were negatively shifted compared to those of the corresponding terminal methyl ester-substituted homologues (3a and PCBM). The performances of photovoltaic devices consisting of 3b and 3c were slightly higher than those of PCBM.     

Frontier orbitals and ligand-to-metal charge transfer electronic transitions in <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis><Superscript>0</Superscript>-metal complexes

Properties of frontier orbitals and low-energy electronic transitions in a d ⁰-organometallic complex have been studied by TDDFT and DFT methods using B3LYP hybrid functional and 3-21G*, 6-31G**, SDD, CEP-121G, and DGDZVP basis sets. It has been shown that the electronic transition between frontier orbitals in the excitation and absorption spectra is associated with charge transfer mainly from π-type ligands to a central metal d ⁰-ion. The good agreement of the data (the shape and band position of the spectra of electronic absorption and excitation, energy of electronic transitions, and strength of the harmonic oscillator) of quantum-chemical and photophysical studies is demonstrated.     

The breaking and mending of porphyrins: reductive coupling of secochlorin bisaldehydes

The reaction of free base or Ni(II) complex secochlorin bisaldehydes 4H₂ and 4Ni regenerates the ultimate starting material of the bisaldehydes, meso-tetraphenylporphyrin 2H₂ and 2Ni, respectively. Depending on the reaction conditions employed (hydrazine hydrate in pyridine at reflux or hydrazine hydrate activated with sulfur in the presence of aqueous NaOH at ambient temperature), either porphyrin 2H₂ is formed together with known dihydroxymorpholinochlorin 9H₂ or known 2-hydroxychlorin 8H₂. Two different reaction pathways for the hydrazine reaction can be derived, either involving the formation of a meso-tetraphenyl-1,4,5-triazepinoporphyrin that loses spontaneously N₂ or a Wolff-Kishner-type pathway that also involves an intramolecular aldol-type reaction. Neither reaction is synthetically useful but both highlight in an impressive fashion the high thermodynamic stability of porphyrins. They also bring the ‘breaking and mending of porphyrin’ strategy to its ultimate conclusion by regenerating the starting porphyrin.     

Synthesis and characterization of β-fused porphyrin-BODIPY dyads

Novel dyads in which a porphyrin ring is directly fused through two β-pyrrolic carbons to a BODIPY^® moiety have been prepared using a stepwise approach starting from the copper(II) complex of pyrrolo[2,3-c]-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin. Formylation and reaction with 3,5-dimethylpyrrole afforded 8; subsequent BF₂ complexation gave the TPP-BODIPY^® dyad in reasonable yields. Demetalation in TFA/H₂SO₄ led to the corresponding free base 12, opening the way to the subsequent preparation of the Zn complex 13. Both 12 and 13 exhibited complex optical spectra with an intensely red-shifted Q-band. Luminescence spectra displayed a very intense band around 700 nm making these species suitable as near-IR dyes and sensors in biological media. Optical analyses of 12, using the INDO/SCI technique, were performed to obtain information to establish the origin of the novel optical properties. These studies showed that the optical properties of 12 cannot be attributed to deformation of the molecular skeleton, but derive from the increased extension of the conjugation between the TPP and BODIPY^® π-systems.     

Synthesis, electrochemical, and photophysical studies of multicomponent systems based on porphyrin and ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes

Two ruthenium tris-bipyridine functionalized porphyrins 4, 8 and their Zn derivatives 4-Zn, 8-Zn were designed, synthesized, and characterized. The redox potentials of these complexes as well as their corresponding monomeric reference porphyrin and ruthenium bipyridine complexes were also measured for comparison. Primary dynamic studies on the electron injection and backing recombination between these complexes and TiO₂ nanoparticles were carried out by means of transient absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that a long-lived charge separation state was obtained in these assemblies.     

Light-harvesting composites of directly connected porphyrin-phthalocyanine dyads and their coordination dimers

Directly linked porphyrin (Por)-phthalocyanine (Pc) heterodyads (H₂Por-H₂Pc and H₂Por-ZnPc) with an imidazolyl group at porphyrin’s meso-position were synthesized. Introduction of a zinc ion into the porphyrin afforded stable complementary dimers of the heterodyads. The heterodyads and their dimers gave extensive and strong absorption bands owing to the porphyrin and phthalocyanine components and induced an efficient energy transfer from porphyrin to phthalocyanine. Strong fluorescence from phthalocyanine was observed in the case of H₂Por-H₂Pc.     

Gas-phase CT-stabilized Ag(I) and Zn(II) metal-organic complexes - Experimental versus theoretical study

A series of 14 new metal-organic compounds of Ag(I) and Zn(II), i.e. trichloro(1-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazinium)zinc(II) (1), 1-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-ethyl]-piperazinium tetrachlorozincate(II) (2), tetrachlorozincate(II) salt of 4-(2-aminoethyl)morpholine (3), 1,4-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazinium tetrachlorozincate(II) (4), 5-sulfosalicylate coordination polymer of Ag(I) (5) [3dd], mandelate coordination polymer of Ag(I) (6) [1r], hexa-aqua zinc(II) 5-sulfosalicylate monohydrate (7), cyclic quaternary N-ethylmorpholine tetrachlorozincate(II) monohydrate (8), 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridinium tetrachlorozincate(II) (9), bis(guaninium) tetrachlorozincate(II) dihydrate (10), bis(8-hydroxyquinolinium) tetrachlorozincate(II) (11), zinc(II) complexes of 2,4-dihydroxy-(12) and 2,3-dihydroxy-(13) benzoic acid, silver(I) complex of 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (14), as well as cyclic quaternary N-ethylmorpholine chloride monohydrate (8a), are synthesized, isolated spectroscopic and structurally characterized by the mass spectrometry, electronic absorption and vibrational spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance and fluorescence spectroscopy in condense phases, single crystal X-ray diffraction, ICP and thermal methods. Quantum chemical DFT calculations, including NBO analysis are performed for all of the obtained complexes, their ligands as well as series of structurally related model metal-organic chromophores. The obtained correlation dependences between the theoretical and experimental structural and spectroscopic data both in gas- and condense phases, underlying an explanation of the experimentally observed mass spectrometrically stable metal-organic species in the gas phase as well as the atypical CT bands in excited state.     

A selective, sensitive probe for mercury(II) ions based on oxazine-thione

A selective, sensitive probe for Hg(II) ions, 7-(diethylamino)-3-methyl-2H-benzo[b][1,4] oxazine-2-thione (1), is developed. Compound 1 behaves as a ratiometric probe, exhibiting a large blue shift of 100 nm in its absorption spectra upon exposure to Hg(II) ions. The dramatic color change of the solution made ‘naked-eye’ detection of Hg(II) ions possible. Emission spectra of 1 displayed a selective enhancement in intensity in the presence of Hg(II) ions. ESI⁺-MS analysis indicated that Hg²⁺-induced desulfurization caused the large absorption response.     

Synthesis,characterization and photophysical properties of the pincer platinum(II) complexes with m-bis(benzimidazol-2′-yl)benzene ligand

The reaction of 2,2′-(1,5-dibutoxy-2,4-phenylene)bis(1-phenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole) (1) with K₂PtCl₄ in refluxing HOAc afforded the pincer Pt(II) chloride complex 2. Treatment of 2 with KI gave the corresponding Pt(II) iodide complex 3. While reaction of 2 with 4-(methoxy)phenylacetylene in the presence of NaOH easily produced the Pt(II) acetylide complex 4. All of the new compounds have been well characterized by elemental analysis (HRMS for 1), NMR, and IR spectra. Additionally, the molecular structures of Pt(II) complexes 2–4 have been determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The electronic absorption and photoluminescent properties of Pt(II) complexes 2–4 have been investigated. The same level time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were carried out by using the Gaussian 09 program package. All of the platinum complexes investigated in this study have exhibited luminescence in CH₂Cl₂ solution, in the solid state and in glass 2-MeTHF solution at 77 K, displaying vibronically structured emission profiles. The luminescence quantum yields in CH₂Cl₂ solution are 0.05–0.06 and the emission lifetimes are in microsecond range.