Synthesis of Peripherally Nitrated,Aminated, and Arylaminated Subporphyrins

2‐Nitro‐5,10,15‐tri(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)subporphyrin 2 was prepared by the nitration of 5,10,15‐tri(4‐tert‐ butylphenyl)subporphyrin 1a with five equivalents of Cu(NO₃)₂ ? 5 H₂O in a mixed EtOAc/Ac₂O solution and was reduced into 2‐amino‐5,10,15‐tri(4‐tert‐butylphenyl)subporphyrin 3 . Bromination of 5,10,15‐triphenylsubporphyrin 1b with 1.5 equivalents of N‐bromosuccinimide (NBS) gave 2‐bromo‐5,10,15‐triphenylsubporphyrin, which was converted into various 2‐arylamino‐5,10,15‐triphenylsubporphyrins ( 4a , 4b , 4c , 4d ) and 2‐benzamido‐5,10,15‐triphenylsubporphyrin 5 through Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions. These molecules constitute the first examples of mono‐β‐substituted subporphyrins. These subporphyrins exhibit significantly perturbed optical and electrochemical properties, which reflect a large influence of the peripherally attached substituents on the electronic networks of subporphyrins.     

meso‐Free BIII Subporphyrins with Electron‐donating Groups

meso‐Free B^III 5,10‐bis(p‐dimethylaminophenyl)subporphyrins were synthesized. They display red‐shifted absorption and fluorescence spectra, bathochromic behaviors in polar solvents, a high fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_F=0.57), and a small HOMO–LUMO gap mainly due to destabilized HOMO as compared with meso‐free B^III 5,10‐diphenylsubporphyrin. This subporphyrin serves as a nice precursor of various meso‐substituted B^III subporphyrins such as B^III meso‐nitrosubporphyrin, B^III meso‐aminosubporphyrin, and meso‐meso’ linked B^III azosubporphyrin dimer. Reactions of meso‐free B^III subporphyrins with NBS or bis(2,4,6‐trimethylpyridine)bromonium hexafluorophosphate gave meso‐meso′ linked subporphyrin dimers, often as a major product along with meso‐bromosubporphyrins.     

β,β‐Diborylated Subporphyrinato Boron(III) Complexes as Useful Synthetic Precursors

Iridium‐catalyzed borylation of B‐aryl meso‐free subporphyrinato boron(III) complexes (hereinafter referred to simply as subporphyrins) with bis(pinacolato)diboron gave 2,13‐diborylated subporphyrins regioselectively, which served as promising synthetic precursors for 2,13‐diarylated subporphyrins and doubly β‐to‐β 1,3‐butadiyne‐bridged subporphyrin dimers. 2,13‐Diarylated subporphyrins display perturbed absorption spectra, depending upon the β‐aryl substituents. Doubly 1,3‐butadiyne‐bridged syn and anti subporphyrin dimers thus prepared exhibit differently altered absorption spectra with split Soret‐like bands, which have been accounted for in terms of exciton coupling.     

Boron Arylations of Subporphyrins with Aryl Zinc Reagents

Boron arylations of B‐(methoxo)triphenylsubporphyrin have been developed with a combined use of ArZnI?LiCl and trimethylsilyl chloride. Aryl zinc reagents bearing bromo, cyano, amide, and ester groups can be employed for the B‐arylation reaction to provide the corresponding B‐arylated subporphyrins in moderate yields. Postmodifications of B‐arylated subporphyrins have been demonstrated without loss of the B?C bond. These modifications include conversion of the cyano group into a benzoyl group with PhMgBr, hydrolysis of the ester group to give B‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)subporphyrin, and Pd‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling of the 4‐bromophenyl group to give a 1,4‐phenylene‐bridged subporphyrin–Zn^II porphyrin hybrid that displays intramolecular excitation energy transfer from the subporphyrin to the porphyrin. The newly synthesized B‐arylated subporphyrins have been fully characterized by NMR, UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, mass spectrometry, electrochemical measurements, and X‐ray diffraction analysis.     

Observation of Diastereomeric Interconversions of β‐Sulfinylsubporphyrins as Evidence for Bowl Inversion

B‐Methoxy β‐(4‐methoxyphenylsulfinyl)subporphyrin and B‐phenyl β‐(4‐methoxyphenylsulfinyl)subporphyrin were synthesized by oxidation of the corresponding β‐sulfanylsubporphyrins with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid and were separated into diastereomers, respectively. B‐Methoxy subporphyrin diastereomers were interconverted to each other in methanol or ethanol, whereas such interconversion was not observed for B‐phenyl subporphyrin diastereomers even at high temperature. Diastereomeric interconversions of B‐methoxy subporphyrins were dramatically accelerated by addition of trifluoroacetic acid. These results suggest that the diastereomeric interconversions of B‐methoxy subporphyrins, namely, their bowl inversions, proceed via a mechanism involving protonation‐induced generation of subporphyrin borenium cations followed by nucleophilic attacks by alcohols.     

Singly and Doubly Quinoxaline-Fused BIII Subporphyrins

B-Phenyl B^III subporphyrin-α-diones prepared in a three-step reaction sequence from the parent subporphyrin were condensed with 1,2-diaminobenzenes to give the corresponding quinoxaline-fused subporphyrins in variable yields. Quinoxaline-fused B-phenyl-5,10,15-triphenyl B^III subporphyrin was transformed to the corresponding subporphyrin-α-dione in the same three-step reaction sequence, which was then condensed with 1,2-diaminobenzene to give doubly quinoxaline-fused subporphyrin. These quinoxaline-fused subporphyrins exhibit redshifted absorption and fluorescence spectra compared with the parent one. A singly quinoxaline-fused subporphyrin bearing three meso-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)aminophenyl substituents shows blueshifted fluorescence in less polar solvent, which has been ascribed to emission associated with charge recombination of intramolecular charge transfer (CT) state.     

Probing the Rotational Dynamics of meso‐(2‐Substituted)aryl Substituents in A2B‐Type Subporphyrins

A₂B‐type B‐methoxy subporphyrins 3 a – g and B‐phenyl subporphyrins 7 a – c , e , g bearing meso‐(2‐substituted)aryl substituents are synthesized, and their rotational dynamics are examined through variable‐temperature (VT) ¹H NMR spectroscopy. In these subporphyrins, the rotation of meso‐aryl substituents is hindered by a rationally installed 2‐substituent. The rotational barriers determined are considerably smaller than those reported previously for porphyrins. Comparison of the rotation activation parameters reveals a variable contribution of ΔH^≠ and ΔS^≠ in ΔG^≠. 2‐Methyl and 2‐ethyl groups of the meso‐aryl substituents in subporphyrins 3 e , 3 f , and 7 e induce larger rotational barriers than 2‐alkoxyl substituents. The rotational barriers of 3 g and 7 g are reduced by the presence of the 4‐dibenzylamino group owing to its ability to stabilize the coplanar rotation transition state electronically. The smaller rotational barriers found for B‐phenyl subporphyrins than for B‐methoxy subporphyrins indicate a negligible contribution of S_N1‐type heterolysis in the rotation of meso‐aryl substituents.     

Peripherally Hexasulfanylated Subporphyrins

Peripherally hexachlorinated meso‐triphenyl subporphyrin 4 was prepared by chlorination of meso‐triphenyl subporphyrin 1 with N‐chlorosuccinimide and was effectively transformed to hexasulfanylated subporphyrins 5 – 8 via nucleophilic aromatic substitution (S_NAr) reactions with the corresponding thiols under basic conditions. The structures of 5 – 8 have been all well characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. ¹H NMR studies indicated that the meso‐phenyl substituents undergo restricted rotation for 5 – 8 , while the β‐sulfanyl substituents are conformationally flexible in 5 , 6 , and 8 , and are strictly regulated to an anti‐conformation in 7 . Judging from the absorption spectra, the oxidation and reduction potentials, and the DFT calculations, the substituent effects decrease in the order of 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 . Subporphyrin 8 effectively captures C₆₀ in a 1:1 manner in [D₈]toluene solution.     

Subporpholactone,Subporpholactam, Imidazolosubporphyrin,and Iridium Complexes of Imidazolosubporphyrin: Formation of Iridium Carbene Complexes

Pyrrole‐modified subporphyrins bearing a non‐pyrrolic cyclic unit, subporpholactone, subporpholactam, and imidazolosubporphyrin were newly synthesized. They show subporphyrin‐like absorption and fluorescence spectra that are red‐shifted in the order of subporpholactam<subporpholactone<imidazolosubporphyrin. Metalation of the imidazolosubporphyrin with (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iridium(III) dichloride dimer gave a complex, in which the iridium(III) atom was attached at the peripheral nitrogen atom of the imidazole moiety and the ortho‐position of the meso‐phenyl group. Reaction of this complex with diphenylacetylene gave different products depending on the used additive; a phenyl‐rearranged product in the presence of NaBAr^F₄ (Ar^F=3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) and two isomeric carbene complexes in the presence of KPF₆.     

The effect of the core on the thermotropic behavior of three‐arm star poly[11‐(4′‐cyanophenyl‐4′′‐phenoxy)undecyl acrylate]s synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization

“Three‐arm star” poly[11‐(4′‐cyanophenyl‐4′′‐phenoxy)undecyl acrylate]s were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 11‐(4′‐cyanophenyl‐4′′‐phenoxy)undecyl acrylate using two new trifunctional initiators: 1,3,5‐tri‐ (methyl 2‐bromopropionate)benzene and 2,4,6‐tri[4′‐methyl(2′′‐bromopropionate)phenoxymethyl]mesitylene. The polymers synthesized with 1,3,5‐tri(methyl 2‐bromopropionate)benzene (series II) contained 14–127 repeat units according to gel permeation chromatography relative to linear polystyrene (GPC_PSt) and 13–271 repeat units according to GPC with a light scattering detector (GPC_LS). Those synthesized with 2,4,6‐tri[4′‐methyl(2′′‐bromopropionate)phenoxymethyl]mesitylene (series III) contained 14–87 repeat units according to GPC_PSt and 10–120 repeat units according to GPC_LS. The absolute molecular weight, size, and shape of both series of polymers were characterized by light scattering in CH₂Cl₂, and their thermotropic behavior was analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry; both types of properties were compared to those of the other architectures, especially the corresponding three‐arm star poly[11‐(4′‐cyanophenyl‐4′′‐phenoxy)undecyl acrylate]s synthesized previously using 1,3,5‐trisbromomethylmesitylene as the initiator. The size and shape of the three‐arm star polymers in CH₂Cl₂ are similar, although the isotropization temperature in the solid state decreases and the breadth of the isotropization transition increases with increasing size and flexibility of the trifunctional core. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4363–4382, 2008     

Periphery-Fused Chiral A2B-Type Subporphyrin

Despite significant interest, the chiroptical properties of subporphyrins have rarely been investigated because chiral subporphyrins are elusive. Here, inherently chiral subporphyrins are elaborated by forming a fused pyran ring at the periphery of an A₂B-type meso-aryl-substituted subporphyrin. Their circular dichroism (CD) properties are largely affected by the peripheral substituents and the dihedral angles between the meso-aryl substituents and the subporphyrin core: the β-perbromo subporphyrin with an orthogonal arrangement of the meso-phenyl substituents to the subporphyrin core exhibits weak CD signals corresponding to the Q bands, whereas the unsubstituted species with smaller dihedral angles shows relatively intense CD signals. A detailed structure–property relationship of these chiral subporphyrins was elucidated by time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations. This study reveals that the CD properties of chiral subporphyrins can be controlled by peripheral substitution and meso-aryl substituents.     

Subporpholactone,Subporpholactam, Imidazolosubporphyrin,and Iridium Complexes of Imidazolosubporphyrin: Formation of Iridium Carbene Complexes

Pyrrole‐modified subporphyrins bearing a non‐pyrrolic cyclic unit, subporpholactone, subporpholactam, and imidazolosubporphyrin were newly synthesized. They show subporphyrin‐like absorption and fluorescence spectra that are red‐shifted in the order of subporpholactam<subporpholactone<imidazolosubporphyrin. Metalation of the imidazolosubporphyrin with (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iridium(III) dichloride dimer gave a complex, in which the iridium(III) atom was attached at the peripheral nitrogen atom of the imidazole moiety and the ortho‐position of the meso‐phenyl group. Reaction of this complex with diphenylacetylene gave different products depending on the used additive; a phenyl‐rearranged product in the presence of NaBAr^F₄ (Ar^F=3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) and two isomeric carbene complexes in the presence of KPF₆.     

Palladium‐Catalyzed Cascade Oligocyclizations Involving Competing Elementary Steps Such as Thermal [1,5]‐Acyl Shifts

Palladium(Pd)‐catalyzed oligocyclizations of 2‐bromotetradec‐1‐ene‐7,13‐diynes with an unsubstituted terminal acetylene moiety like 3 and 5 and 15‐bromohexadec‐15‐ene‐3,9‐diyn‐2‐ones like 4 and 6 afforded fulvene derivatives 20 and 21 (Scheme 7) and bis(cyclohexane)‐annulated methylenecyclopentene systems 16 and 18 (Schemes 5 and 6), respectively. These transformations constitute cascades of cyclizing carbopalladation steps with ensuing [1,5]‐sigmatropic H‐atom and acyl shifts, respectively (Scheme 8). In contrast, analogous substrates with one three‐atom and one four‐atom tether between the unsaturated C,C‐bonds, such as 1 and 2 , behave differently in that the Pd‐substituted hexa‐1,3,5‐triene intermediates 12 undergo a 6π‐electrocyclization instead of a 5‐exo‐trig carbopalladation followed by β‐hydride elimination to furnish tricyclic bis‐annulated benzene derivatives 13 and 14 (Scheme 4).     

meso‐(2‐Pyridyl)‐boron(III)‐subporphyrin: Perimeter Iridium(III) Coordination

Peripherally metalated porphyrinoids are promising functional π‐systems displaying characteristic optical, electronic, and catalytic properties. In this work, 5‐(2‐pyridyl)‐ and 5,10,15‐tri(2‐pyridyl)‐B^III‐subporphyrins were prepared and used to produce cyclometalated subporphyrins by reactions with [Cp*IrCl₂]₂, which proceeded through an efficient C?H activation to give the corresponding mono‐ and tri‐Ir^III complexes, respectively. While the mono‐Ir^III complex was obtained as a diastereomeric mixture, a C₃‐symmetric tri‐Ir^III complex with the three Cp*‐units all at the concave side was predominantly obtained in a high yield of 90 %, which displays weak NIR phosphorescence even at room temperature in degassed CH₂Cl₂, differently from the mono‐Ir^III complexes.     

Versatile Photophysical Properties of meso‐Aryl‐Substituted Subporphyrins: Dipolar and Octupolar Charge‐Transfer Interactions

Donor–acceptor systems based on subporphyrins with nitro and amino substituents at meta and para positions of the meso‐phenyl groups were synthesized and their photophysical properties have been systematically investigated. These molecules show two types of charge‐transfer interactions, that is, from center to periphery and periphery to center depending on the peripheral substitution, in which the subporphyrin moiety plays a dual role as both donor and acceptor. Based on the solvent‐polarity‐dependent photophysical properties, we have shown that the fluorescence emission of para isomers originates from the solvatochromic, dipolar, symmetry‐broken, and relaxed excited states, whereas the non‐solvatochromic fluorescence of meta isomers is of the octupolar type with false symmetry breaking. The restricted meso‐(4‐aminophenyl) rotation at low temperature prevents the intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT)‐forming process. The two‐photon absorption (TPA) cross‐section values were determined by photoexcitation at 800 nm in nonpolar toluene and polar acetonitrile solvents to see the effect of ICT on the TPA processes. The large enhancement in the TPA cross‐section value of approximately 3200 GM (1 GM=10^?50 cm⁴ s photon^?1) with donor–acceptor substitution has been attributed to the octupolar effect and ICT interactions. A correlation was found between the electron‐donating/‐withdrawing abilities of the peripheral groups and the TPA cross‐section values, that is, p‐aminophenyl>m‐aminophenyl>nitrophenyl. The increased stability of octupolar ICT interactions in highly polar solvents enhances the TPA cross‐section value by a factor of approximately 2 and 4, respectively, for p‐amino‐ and m‐nitrophenyl‐substituted subporphyrins. On the other hand, the stabilization of the symmetry‐broken, dipolar ICT state gives rise to a negligible impact on the TPA processes.     

Synthesis,Structure, and Photophysical Properties of the Di‐ and Trinuclear Phosphine‐Diimine Complexes of Copper(I)

Reactions of [Cu(NCMe)₄]⁺ with stoichiometric amount of diphosphine R₂P–(C₆H₄)_n–PR₂, (R = NC₄H₄, n = 1; R = Ph, n = 1, 2, 3) or tri‐phosphine 1, 3, 5‐(PPh₂–C₆H₄–)₃–C₆H₃ ligands give the corresponding di‐ or trinuclear copper(I) acetonitrile‐phosphine complexes 1 – 5 . Substitution of the labile acetonitrile groups with chelating aromatic diimines – 2, 2′‐bipyridine (bpy), 1, 10‐phenanthroline (phen), 5, 6‐dimethyl‐1, 10‐phenanthroline (dmp), 5, 6‐dibromo‐1, 10‐phenanthroline (phenBr₂) – gives the corresponding substituted compounds 6 – 16 . In all complexes 1 – 16 each central Cu^I atom has tetrahedral configuration completed with two N‐ and two P‐donor groups. The compounds obtained were characterized using elemental analysis, ESI‐MS, X‐ray crystallography, and NMR spectroscopy. All phosphine‐diimine compounds 6 – 16 are photoluminescent at room temperature both in dichloromethane solution and in solid state (λ_ex = 385 nm). In CH₂Cl₂ solution the maxima of emission bands are found in a range 540–640 nm, and in solid in a similar range 538–620 nm. Emission of 6 – 16 is assigned to the triplet excited state dominated by the charge transfer transitions with contribution of the MLCT character.     

Syntheses of 12‐arm star polymers and star diblock copolymers by nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization using dendritic dodecafunctional macroinitiators

Dendritic multifunctional macroinitiators having 12 TEMPO‐based alkoxyamines were prepared by the reaction of a benzyl alcohol having 4 TEMPO‐based alkoxyamines with 1,3,5‐tris[(4‐chlorocarbonyl)phenyl]benzene and 1,3,5‐tris(4‐isocyanatophenyl)benzene. Using the dodecafunctional macroinitiators, TEMPO‐mediated radical polymerizations of styrene (St) were carried out at 120 °C, and 12‐arm star polymers ( star‐12 ) with narrow polydispersities of M_w/M_n = 1.06–1.26 were obtained. To evaluate the livingness for the TEMPO‐mediated radical polymerizations of St, hydrolysis of the ester bonds of the 12‐arm star polymers and subsequent SEC measurements were carried out. Furthermore, using star‐12 as the macroinitiator, TEMPO‐mediated radical polymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine (4‐VP) was carried out, and well‐defined poly(St)‐b‐poly(4‐VP) 12‐arm star diblock copolymers with M_w/M_n = 1.18–1.19 were obtained. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3689–3700, 2005     

Enaminone as Building Blocks in Organic Chemistry: A Novel Route to Polyfunctionally 2‐Substituted 5,6,7,8‐Tetrahydronaphthalenes and Their Antiviral Evaluation

The enaminone 2 reacts with different reagents to afford anilino, aroylpyridine, 1,3,5‐tri‐tetrahydronaphthoyl‐benzene, pyridine, 2,3,6‐trisubstituted pyridines, pyrazole, pyrido[1,2‐a]benzimidazole, and hydrazone derivatives 4 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 20 , and 21 . The antiviral evaluation of some selected new products showed promising antiviral activity against human adenovirus 7 and human rotavirus Wa strain.     

Syntheses of Chiral Phosphazenes with Stereogenic Centers: NMR Behavior in the Presence of a Chiral Solvating Agent

The condensation reactions of tetrachloro mono ( 1 and 2 ) and bisferrocenyl spirocyclotriphosphazenes ( 3 – 5 ) with morpholine in tetrahydrofuran gave the partly morpholino‐substituted ferrocenylphosphazenes. When the reactions were carried out with equal amounts of 1 – 5 and morpholine, the mono‐substituted ferrocenylphosphazenes ( 1a, 3a–5a ) formed as the major product. While the reactions were made with 1 equiv of 1–5 and 2 equiv of morpholine, the corresponding geminal–phosphazenes ( 1b–5b ) were isolated. In addition, the condensation reactions of 1 equiv of 1–5 and 3 equiv of morpholine resulted in the formation of di‐( 1b–5b ), tri‐( 2c–5c ), and tetra‐substituted phosphazenes. The tri‐substituted compounds were isolated as major products. Some new phosphazenes have stereogenic P center(s). The stereogenic properties of 1a and 2c were investigated using ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in the presence of the chiral solvating agent; (S)‐(+)‐2,2,2‐trifluoro‐1‐(9′‐anthryl)ethanol. The structures of all the phosphazenes were characterized by one‐dimensional ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR, and two‐dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectral data. The salient spectral properties of the phosphazenes were presented.     

Reactions of Complex Ligands. Part 107 Densely Substituted Hydroquinoid Phenanthrene and Triphenylene Cr(CO)3 Complexes: Chromium‐Templated Synthesis and Molecular Structure

Densely substituted hydroquinoid phenanthrene ( 10 – 18 ), acephenanthrene ( 19 ), and triphenylene chromium tricarbonyl complexes ( 20 – 22 ) have been prepared via benzannulation of naphthalenyl ( 1 – 7 ), acenaphthenyl ( 8 ) and phenanthrenyl carbene complexes ( 9 ), respectively. The naphthalenyl, acenaphthenyl and phenanthrenyl carbene complexes 1 – 9 were obtained in 52–88 % yield starting from commercially available bromoarenes by dehalolithiation, addition of hexacarbonyl chromium to the lithioarene and O‐alkylation of the resulting acyl chromates with trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate (Fischer route). The benzannulation of the aryl carbene complexes (either with 3‐hexyne / (t‐butyl)dimethylsilyl chloride or with (t‐butyl)dimethylsilylethyne) allowed the regiospecific synthesis of the oligocyclic hydroquinoid arene tricarbonyl chromium complexes 10 – 22 in 44–94 % yield thus providing a two‐step synthesis with overall yields of 18 ‐ 80 %. Under the kinetic reaction conditions used the metal atom is exclusively coordinated to the persubstituted terminal hydroquinoid ring. The molecular structures of phenanthrene complexes 10 , 12 – 14 , and 16 , acephenanthrene complex 19 , and triphenylene complexes 20 and 21 in the solid state have been determined by X‐ray crystallography. The carbonyl ligands either adopt an eclipsed ( 10 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 19 , 20 ) or staggered ( 13 , 21 ) exo‐conformation pointing away from the center of the phenanthrene, acephenanthrene and triphenylene ligands, respectively. The coordination of the metal atom to the hydroquinoid ring is unsymmetric with the largest metal‐carbon distances found between the chromium atom and one bridgehead carbon and the ring carbon atom bearing the bulky (t‐butyl)dimethylsilyloxy (TBDMSO) substituent.