Synthesis and properties of hybrid porphyrin tapes

Hybrid porphyrin tapes 3 and 4 , consisting of a mixture of 3,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl‐substituted donor‐type Zn^II–porphyrins and pentafluorophenyl‐substituted acceptor‐type Zn^II–porphyrins, were prepared by a synthetic route involving cross‐condensation reaction of a Ni^II–porphyrinyldipyrromethane and pentafluorophenyldipyrromethane with pentafluorobenzaldehyde followed by appropriate demetalation, remetalation, and oxidative ring‐closure reaction. The Ni^II‐substituted porphyrin tapes 5 (Ni‐Zn‐Ni) and 6 (Ni‐H₂‐Ni) were also prepared through similar routes. The hybrid porphyrin tapes 3 and 4 are more soluble and more stable than normal porphyrin tapes 1 and 2 consisting of only donor‐type Zn^II–porphyrins. The solid‐state and crystal packing structures of 3 , 4 , and 5 were elucidated by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. Singly meso–meso‐linked hybrid porphyrin arrays 12 and 14 exhibit redox potentials that roughly correspond to each constituent porphyrin segments, while the redox potentials of the hybrid porphyrin tapes 3 and 4 are positively shifted as a whole. The two‐photon absorption (TPA) values of 1–6 were measured by using a wavelength‐scanning open aperture Z‐scan method and found to be 1900, 21 000, 2200, 27 000, 24 000, and 26 000 GM, respectively. These results illustrate an important effect of elongation of π‐electron conjugation for the enhancement of TPA values. The hybrid porphyrin tapes show slightly larger TPA values than the parent ones.     

Electrocatalytic Dioxygen Reduction by Carbon Electrodes Noncovalently Modified with Iron Porphyrin Complexes: Enhancements from a Single Proton Relay

Oxygen reduction in acidic aqueous solution mediated by a series of asymmetric iron (III)‐tetra(aryl)porphyrins adsorbed to basal‐ and edge‐ plane graphite electrodes is investigated. The asymmetric iron porphyrin systems bear phenyl groups at three meso positions and either a 2‐pyridyl, a 2‐benzoic acid, or a 2‐hydroxyphenyl group at the remaining meso position. The presence of the three unmodified phenyl groups makes the compounds insoluble in water, enabling catalyst retention during electrochemical experiments. Resonance Raman data demonstrate that catalyst layers are maintained, but can undergo modification after prolonged catalysis in the presence of O₂. The introduction of a single proton relay group at the fourth meso position makes the asymmetric iron porphyrins markedly more robust catalysts; these molecules support higher sustained current densities than the parent iron tetraphenylporphyrin. Iron porphyrins bearing a 2‐pyridyl group are the most active catalysts and operate at stable current densities ≥1 mA cm^?2 for over 5 h. Comparative analysis of the catalysts with different proton relays also is reported.     

Strategic Construction of Directly Linked Porphyrin–BODIPY Hybrids

A powerful and concise synthesis of directly linked porphyrin‐BODIPY hybrids has been demonstrated, which consists of condensation of directly linked meso ‐pyrroyl Ni^II‐porphyrin with arylaldehyde, oxidation with p ‐chloranil, and complexation with BF₃⋅Et₂O. Synthesized hybrids include porphyrin dimer 6Ni , trimers 8Ni , 9Ni , tetramer 12Ni , pentamer 16Ni , hexamer 13Ni , and nonamers 17Ni and 18Ni . The structures of 6Ni , 9Ni and 12Ni were unambiguously confirmed by X‐ray diffraction analysis. Some Ni^II porphyrins were effectively converted to the corresponding Zn^II porphryins. In these hybrids, the pigments are three‐dimensionally arranged with a face‐to‐face dimeric porphyrin unit in a well‐defined manner, featuring their potential as light‐harvesting antenna and functional hosts.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Azobenzene–Porphyrins

A new series of novel covalently connected meso‐tetrakis(3‐azophenyl‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐methoxyphenyl)porphyrins were synthesized by linking azobenzene unit at the meta‐position of the meso‐phenyl group. These are characterized by UV–vis, IR, ¹H‐NMR, CHN, and FABMS spectroscopic techniques. All the porphyrin compounds showed a typical high energy Soret band at around 435 nm and azobenzene absorption at around 350 nm in UV–vis spectra. Fluorescence intensity of meso‐tetrakis(3‐(4‐methoxyazophenyl)‐4‐hydroxy‐5‐methoxyphenyl)porphyrin ( 2c ) has been observed to be maximum compared with other azobenzene porphyrins.     

Trimeric and Tetrameric Electron‐Deficient Porphyrin Tapes

New hybrid porphyrin tapes comprising meso‐3,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl‐substituted Zn^II‐porphyrins ( D ) and meso‐pentafluorophenyl‐substituted Zn^II‐porphyrins ( A ) were synthesized via cross‐condensation of meso‐formyl porphyrins 1 , 5 , and 9 with oligopyrromethanes 2 and 6 as key steps. These hybrid tapes exhibit improved solubilities and enhanced chemical stability as compared with original Dn porphyrin tapes, and all display remarkably coplanar structures favorable for π‐conjugation. The absorption spectrum of ADDA displays Q‐like bands at 1400 and 1657 nm with a vibronic structure characteristic of porphyrinoids. The cyclic voltammograms exhibited positively shifted oxidation and reduction waves in the order of DDD < DAD < ADA < AAA . Tetrameric tape ADDA displays five reversible waves in a narrow range of 1.13 V. Two‐photon absorption (TPA) measurement confirmed that the π‐conjugation path is extended from 12 to ADDA and the molecular polarizability of ADA is larger than that of AAA .     

Corroles cannot ruffle

X-ray structures of Co(III)[(CF(3))(3)Cor](PPh(3)) [(CF(3))(3)Cor = meso-tris(trifluoromethyl)corrolato] and Cu[(CF(3))(4)Por] [(CF(3))(4)Por = meso-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)porphyrinato] revealed planar and highly ruffled macrocycle conformations, respectively, in line with analogous observations for a handful of other meso-perfluoroalkylated porphyrins and corroles reported in the literature. To gain insights into the difference in conformational behavior, we evaluated DFT (BP86-D/TZP) ruffling potentials for a variety of corrole complexes, as well as their porphyrin analogues. The calculations led us to conclude that corrole derivatives, in essence, cannot ruffle.     

ABC–ABC-Type Directly meso–meso Linked Porphyrin Dimers

Covalently linked porphyrin oligomers are attractive because of their extended π-conjugated systems. Among various porphyrin oligomers, directly meso–meso linked porphyrin oligomers exhibit unique photophysical properties due to their strong exciton couplings derived from the alternative orthogonal geometry of the porphyrins. Although their structural and electronic properties can be greatly altered by substituents at meso positions, it is still difficult to introduce different substituents at the meso positions. Thus, it is a challenge to develop general synthetic methodologies for functional porphyrin dimers and oligomers with different substituents at the meso positions. Herein, a general synthetic strategy for ABC–ABC-type directly meso–meso linked porphyrin dimers by stepwise functionalization starting from 10,15,20-meso-free 5-substituted porphyrin as building block is established. A meso-ABC–ABC-type meso–meso-linked donor–π-acceptor-type porphyrin dimer was prepared and exhibited the highest power conversion efficiency (7.91 %) ever reported for dye-sensitized solar cells based on dimeric orthogonal donor–π-acceptor-type organic sensitizers. This synthetic strategy will provide useful guidance for the rational design of functional porphyrin dimers and oligomers for diverse applications.     

Kinetic study and UV–Vis spectra of 1:2 complexation of free base para‐substituted meso‐tetraphenylporphyrins with trimethylsilyl chloride

The UV–Vis spectra for 1:2 complexation of four different para‐substituted meso‐tetraphenylporphyrin (H₂t(4‐X)pp) and meso‐tetraphenylporphyrins (H₂tpp) with trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSC) displayed large and different redshifts (28–32.4 nm) of Soret and (15–41.7 nm) Q_(0‐0) bands, whereas 1:2 complexation of the less flexible tetramesitylporphyrin (H₂tmp) with TMSC led to rather small redshift (24.8 nm) of the Soret band and blueshift (−7.4 nm) of the Q_(0‐0) band. The varying spectral behavior for the porphyrins complexation seems to essentially reflect the different extent of π‐interactions between the meso‐aryl groups and the presumably saddled porphyrin macrocycle, through their relative coplanarity. The observed order of the rate constants for the complexation of various para‐substituted porphyrins, H₂t(4‐OCH₃)pp (9.27 ± 0.03) × 10⁻³ > H₂t(4‐CH₃)pp (6.68 ± 0.05) × 10⁻³ > H₂tpp (3.2 ± 0.05) × 10⁻³ > H₂t(4‐Cl)pp (8.36 ± 0.06) × 10⁻⁴, clearly demonstrated a higher reaction rate for the porphyrins containing para‐substituents with stronger electron donor ability. The calculated order for porphyrins (0.9 ± 0.1) and for TMSC (1.0 ± 0.1) suggests rate = K[Por][TMSC] for the complexation. Attempts were made to explain the absence of spectral evidence for the presence of an intermediate 1:1 (TMSC) Por adduct in terms of its high reactivity and/or relative instability. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 39: 231–235, 2007     

Peripherally Silylated Porphyrins

Silylation of peripherally lithiated porphyrins with silyl electrophiles has realized the first synthesis of a series of directly silyl‐substituted porphyrins. The meso‐silyl group underwent facile protodesilylation, whereas the β‐silyl group was entirely compatible with standard work‐up and purification on silica gel. The meso‐silyl group caused larger substituent effects to the porphyrin compared with the β‐silyl group. Silylation of β‐lithiated porphyrins with 1,2‐dichlorodisilane furnished β‐to‐β disilane‐bridged porphyrin dimers. A doubly β‐to‐β disilane‐bridged Ni^II‐porphyrin dimer was also synthesized from a β,β‐dilithiated Ni^II‐porphyrin and characterized by X‐ray crystallographic analysis to take a steplike structure favorable for interporphyrinic interaction. Denickelation of β‐silylporphyrins was achieved upon treatment with a 4‐tolylmagnesium bromide to yield the corresponding freebase porphyrins.     

Large Porphyrin Squares from the Self‐Assembly of meso‐Triazole‐Appended L‐Shaped meso–meso‐Linked ZnII–Triporphyrins: Synthesis and Efficient Energy Transfer

meso‐Triazolyl‐appended Zn^II–porphyrins were readily prepared by Cu^I‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of benzyl azide to meso‐ethynylated Zn^II–porphyrin (click chemistry). In noncoordinating CHCl₃ solvent, spontaneous assembly occurred to form tetrameric array ( 3 )₂ from meso–meso‐linked diporphyrins 3 , and dodecameric porphyrin squares ( 4 )₄ and ( 5 )₄ from the L ‐shaped meso–meso‐linked triporphyrins 4 and 5 . The structures of these assemblies were examined by ¹H NMR spectra, absorption spectra, and their gel permeation chromatography (GPC) retention time. Furthermore, the structures of the dodecameric porphyrin squares ( 4 )₄ and ( 5 )₄ were probed by small‐ and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) measurements in solution using a synchrotron source. Excitation‐energy migration processes in these assemblies were also investigated in detail by using both steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopic methods, which revealed efficient excited‐energy transfer (EET) between the meso–meso‐linked Zn^II–porphyrin units that occurred with time constants of 1.5 ps^?1 for ( 3 )₂ and 8.8 ps^?1 for ( 5 )₄.     

Electronic Properties of Mono‐Substituted Tetraferrocenyl Porphyrins in Solution and on a Gold Surface: Assessment of the Influencing Factors for Photoelectrochemical Applications

Two unsymmetric meso‐tetraferrocenyl‐containing porphyrins of general formula Fc₃(FcCOR)Por (Fc=ferrocenyl, R=CH₃ or (CH₂)₅Br, Por=porphyrin) were prepared and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic methods, whereas their redox properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) approaches. The mixed‐valence [Fc₃(FcCOR)Por]ⁿ⁺ (n=1,3) were investigated using spectroelectrochemical as well as chemical oxidation methods and corroborated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Inter‐valence charge‐transfer (IVCT) transitions in [Fc₃(FcCOR)Por]⁺ were analyzed, and the resulting data matched closely previously reported complexes and were assigned as Robin–Day class II mixed‐valence compounds. Self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) of a thioacetyl derivative (Fc₃(FcCO(CH₂)₅SCOCH₃)Por) were also prepared and characterized. Photoelectrochemical properties of SAMs in different electrolyte systems were investigated by electrochemical techniques and photocurrent generation experiments, showing that the choice of electrolyte is critical for efficiency of redox‐active SAMs.     

Nitrous‐Acid‐Mediated Synthesis of Iron–Nitrosyl–Porphyrin: pH‐Dependent Release of Nitric Oxide

Two iron–nitrosyl–porphyrins, nitrosyl[meso‐tetrakis(3,4,5‐trimethoxyphenylporphyrin]iron(II) acetic acid solvate ( 3 ) and nitrosyl[meso‐tetrakis(4‐methoxyphenylporphyrin]iron(II) CH₂Cl₂ solvate ( 4 ), were synthesized in quantitative yield by using a modified procedure with nitrous acid, followed by oxygen‐atom abstraction by triphenylphosphine under an argon atmosphere. These nitrosyl porphyrins are in the {FeNO}⁷ class. Under an argon atmosphere, these compounds are relatively stable over a broad range of pH values (4–8) but, under aerobic conditions, they release nitric oxide faster at high pH values than that at low pH values. The generated nitric‐oxide‐free iron(III)–porphyrin can be re‐nitrosylated by using nitrous acid and triphenylphosphine. The rapid release of NO from these Fe^II complexes at high pH values seems to be similar to that in nitrophorin, a nitric‐oxide‐transport protein, which formally possesses Fe^III. However, because the release of NO occurs from ferrous–nitrosyl–porphyrin under aerobic conditions, these compounds are more closely related to nitrobindin, a recently discovered heme protein.     

Ultrafast Photoinduced Charge Separation Leading to High‐Energy Radical Ion‐Pairs in Directly Linked Corrole–C60 and Triphenylamine–Corrole‐C60 Donor–Acceptor Conjugates

Closely positioned donor–acceptor pairs facilitate electron‐ and energy‐transfer events, relevant to light energy conversion. Here, a triad system TPACor‐C₆₀ , possessing a free‐base corrole as central unit that linked the energy donor triphenylamine ( TPA ) at the meso position and an electron acceptor fullerene (C₆₀) at the β‐pyrrole position was newly synthesized, as were the component dyads TPA‐Cor and Cor‐C₆₀ . Spectroscopic, electrochemical, and DFT studies confirmed the molecular integrity and existence of a moderate level of intramolecular interactions between the components. Steady‐state fluorescence studies showed efficient energy transfer from ¹ TPA* to the corrole and subsequent electron transfer from ¹corrole* to fullerene. Further studies involving femtosecond and nanosecond laser flash photolysis confirmed electron transfer to be the quenching mechanism of corrole emission, in which the electron‐transfer products, the corrole radical cation ( Cor^?+ in Cor‐C₆₀ and TPA‐Cor^?+ in TPACor‐C₆₀ ) and fullerene radical anion (C₆₀^??), could be spectrally characterized. Owing to the close proximity of the donor and acceptor entities in the dyad and triad, the rate of charge separation, k_CS, was found to be about 10¹¹ s^?1, suggesting the occurrence of an ultrafast charge‐separation process. Interestingly, although an order of magnitude slower than k_CS, the rate of charge recombination, k_CR, was also found to be rapid (k_CR≈10¹⁰ s^?1), and both processes followed the solvent polarity trend DMF>benzonitrile>THF>toluene. The charge‐separated species relaxed directly to the ground state in polar solvents while in toluene, formation of ³corrole* was observed, thus implying that the energy of the charge‐separated state in a nonpolar solvent is higher than the energy of ³corrole* being about 1.52 eV. That is, ultrafast formation of a high‐energy charge‐separated state in toluene has been achieved in these closely spaced corrole–fullerene donor–acceptor conjugates.     

Synthesis of Extremely π‐Extended Porphyrin Tapes from Hybrid meso‐meso Linked Porphyrin Arrays: An Approach Towards the Conjugation Length

Directly meso‐meso, β‐β, β‐β triply linked porphyrin arrays are exceptional π‐conjugated molecules exhibiting remarkably red‐shifted absorption bands extending deeply in the IR region. In order to determine the effective conjugated length (ECL), we embarked on the synthesis of the porphyrin tapes far beyond the 12‐mer, which is the longest we have prepared so far. In this study, to find the compromise between the feasibility of the meso‐meso coupling reaction up to longer arrays and the sufficient solubility and chemical stability of the resultant porphyrin tapes, we prepared hybrid meso‐meso linked porphyrin arrays BOn up to 24‐mer, which have two different aryl groups, a 2,4,6‐tris(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylphenoxy) phenyl group (Ar¹) and a 3,5‐dioctyloxy phenyl group (Ar²). All these arrays were effectively converted into the corresponding triply linked porphyrin tapes TBOn by oxidation with DDQ‐Sc(OTf)₃. Importantly, the low energy Q‐band‐like absorption bands of TBOn are progressively red‐shifted with an increase in the number of porphyrins n until 16 but the red‐shift is saturated at n=16, indicating the ECL of the porphyrin tape to be around 14–16. The regularly introduced meso‐aryl bulky substituents impose facial encumbrance, hence leading to the effective suppression of π–π interactions as well as improvement of the chemical stabilities of TBOn .     

A Benzene‐1,3,5‐Triaminyl Radical Fused with ZnII‐Porphyrins: Remarkable Stability and a High‐Spin Quartet Ground State

A benzene‐1,3,5‐triaminyl radical fused with three Zn^II‐porphyrins was synthesized through a three‐fold oxidative fusion reaction of 1,3,5‐tris(Zn^II‐porphyrinylamino)benzene followed by oxidation with PbO₂ as key steps. This triaminyl radical has been shown to possess a quartet ground state with a doublet–quartet energy gap of 3.1 kJ mol^?1 by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) studies. Despite its high‐spin nature, this triradical is remarkably stable, which allows its separation and recrystallization under ambient conditions. Moreover, this triradical can be stored as a solid for more than one year without serious deterioration. The high stability of the triradical is attributed to effective spin delocalization over the porphyrin segments and steric protection at the nitrogen centers and the porphyrin meso positions.     

Light Energy Collection in a Porphyrin–Imide–Corrole Ensemble

An assembly consisting of three units, that is, a meso‐substituted corrole ( C3 ), 1,8 naphthaleneimide ( NIE ), and a Zn porphyrin ( ZnP ), has been synthesized. NIE is connected to C3 through a 1,3‐phenylene bridge and to the ZnP unit through a direct C? C bond. The convergent synthetic strategy includes the preparation of a trans‐A₂B‐corrole possessing the imide unit, followed by Sonogashira coupling with a meso‐substituted A₃B‐porphyrin. The photophysical processes in the resulting triad ZnP-NIE-C3 are examined and compared with those of the corresponding C3-NIE dyad and the constituent reference models C3 , NIE , and ZnP . Excitation of the NIE unit in C3-NIE leads to a fast energy transfer of 98 % efficiency to C3 with a rate k_en=7.5×10¹⁰ s^?1, whereas excitation of the corrole unit leads to a reactivity of the excited state identical to that of the model C3 , with a deactivation rate to the ground state k=2.5×10⁸ s^?1. Energy transfer to C3 and to ZnP moieties follows excitation of NIE in the triad ZnP-NIE-C3 . The rates are k_en=7.5×10¹⁰ s^?1 and k_en=2.5×10¹⁰ s^?1 for the sensitization of the C3 and ZnP unit, respectively. The light energy transferred from NIE to Zn porphyrin unit is ultimately funneled to the corrole component, which is the final recipient of the excitation energy absorbed by the different components of the array. The latter process occurs with a rate k_en=3.4×10⁹ s^?1 and 89 % efficiency. Energy transfer processes take place in all cases by a Förster (dipole–dipole) mechanism. The theory predicts quite satisfactorily the rate for the ZnP/C3 couple, where components are separated by about 23 Å, but results in calculated rates that are one to two orders of magnitude higher for the couples NIE/ZnP (D/A) and NIE/C3, which are separated by distances of about 14 and 10 Å, respectively.     

Stable Anticancer Gold(III)–Porphyrin Complexes: Effects of Porphyrin Structure

In the design of physiologically stable anticancer gold(III) complexes, we have employed strongly chelating porphyrinato ligands to stabilize a gold(III) ion [Chem. Commun. 2003 , 1718; Coord. Chem. Rev. 2009 , 253, 1682]. In this work, a family of gold(III) tetraarylporphyrins with porphyrinato ligands containing different peripheral substituents on the meso‐aryl rings were prepared, and these complexes were used to study the structure–bioactivity relationship. The cytotoxic IC₅₀ values of [Au(Por)]⁺ (Por=porphyrinato ligand), which range from 0.033 to >100 μM , correlate with their lipophilicity and cellular uptake. Some of them induce apoptosis and display preferential cytotoxicity toward cancer cells than to normal noncancerous cells. A new gold(III)–porphyrin with saccharide conjugation [Au(4‐glucosyl‐TPP)]Cl ( 2 a ; H₂(4‐glucosyl‐TPP)=meso‐tetrakis(4‐β‐D ‐glucosylphenyl)porphyrin) exhibits significant cytostatic activity to cancer cells (IC₅₀=1.2–9.0 μM ) without causing cell death and is much less toxic to lung fibroblast cells (IC₅₀>100 μM ). The gold(III)–porphyrin complexes induce S‐phase cell‐cycle arrest of cancer cells as indicated by flow cytometric analysis, suggesting that the anticancer activity may be, in part, due to termination of DNA replication. The gold(III)–porphyrin complexes can bind to DNA in vitro with binding constants in the range of 4.9×10⁵ to 4.1×10⁶ dm³ mol^?1 as determined by absorption titration. Complexes 2 a and [Au(TMPyP)]Cl₅ ( 4 a ; [H₂TMPyP]⁴⁺=meso‐tetrakis(N‐methylpyridinium‐4‐yl)porphyrin) interact with DNA in a manner similar to the DNA intercalator ethidium bromide as revealed by gel mobility shift assays and viscosity measurements. Both of them also inhibited the topoisomerase I induced relaxation of supercoiled DNA. Complex 4 a , a gold(III) derivative of the known G‐quadruplex‐interactive porphyrin [H₂TMPyP]⁴⁺, can similarly inhibit the amplification of a DNA substrate containing G‐quadruplex structures in a polymerase chain reaction stop assay. In contrast to these reported complexes, complex 2 a and the parental gold(III)–porphyrin 1 a do not display a significant inhibitory effect (<10 %) on telomerase. Based on the results of protein expression analysis and computational docking experiments, the anti‐apoptotic bcl‐2 protein is a potential target for those gold(III)–porphyrin complexes with apoptosis‐inducing properties. Complex 2 a also displays prominent anti‐angiogenic properties in vitro. Taken together, the enhanced stabilization of the gold(III) ion and the ease of structural modification render porphyrins an attractive ligand system in the development of physiologically stable gold(III) complexes with anticancer and anti‐angiogenic activities.     

Synthesis of phenylethyne-linked porphyrin dyads

Four new porphyrin dyads have been prepared for studies in artificial photosynthesis. The two porphyrins are joined at the meso positions via a phenylethyne linker and are present in zinc/zinc or zinc/free base metalation states. The porphyrin bearing the ethynyl unit incorporates zero, one, or two pentafluorophenyl groups at non-linking meso positions for tuning the porphyrin redox potentials. The synthetic approach entailed Pd-mediated coupling of porphyrin building blocks that bear a single ethynylphenyl or bromo/iodo substituent.     

Oligoporphyrin Arrays Conjugated to [60]Fullerene: Preparation,NMR Analysis,and Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties

We report the synthesis and physical properties of novel fullerene–oligoporphyrin dyads. In these systems, the C‐spheres are singly linked to the terminal tetrapyrrolic macrocycles of rod‐like meso,meso‐linked or triply‐linked oligoporphyrin arrays. Monofullerene–mono(Zn^II porphyrin) conjugate 3 was synthesized to establish a general protocol for the preparation of the target molecules (Scheme 1). The synthesis of the meso,meso‐linked oligopophyrin–bisfullerene conjugates 4 – 6 , extending in size up to 4.1 nm ( 6 ), was accomplished by functionalization (iodination followed by Suzuki cross‐coupling) of the two free meso‐positions in oligomers 21 – 23 (Schemes 2 and 3). The attractive interactions between a fullerene and a Zn^II porphyrin chromophore in these dyads was quantified as ΔG=−3.3 kcal mol⁻¹ by variable‐temperature (VT) ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy (Table 1). As a result of this interaction, the C‐spheres adopt a close tangential orientation relative to the plane of the adjacent porphyrin nucleus, as was unambiguously established by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR (Figs. 9 and 10), and UV/VIS spectroscopy (Figs. 13–15). The synthesis of triply‐linked diporphyrin–bis[60]fullerene conjugate 8 was accomplished by Bingel cyclopropanation of bis‐malonate 45 with two C₆₀ molecules (Scheme 5). Contrary to the meso,meso‐linked systems 4 – 6 , only a weak chromophoric interaction was observed for 8 by UV/VIS spectroscopy (Fig. 16 and Table 2), and the ¹H‐NMR spectra did not provide any evidence for distinct orientational preferences of the C‐spheres. Comprehensive steady‐state and time‐resolved UV/VIS absorption and emission studies demonstrated that the photophysical properties of 8 differ completely from those of 4 – 6 and the many other known porphyrin–fullerene dyads: photoexcitation of the methano[60]fullerene moieties results in quantitative sensitization of the lowest singlet level of the porphyrin tape, which is low‐lying and very short lived. The meso,meso‐linked oligoporphyrins exhibit ¹O₂ sensitization capability, whereas the triply‐fused systems are unable to sensitize the formation of ¹O₂ because of the low energy content of their lowest excited states (Fig. 18). Electrochemical investigations (Table 3, and Figs. 19 and 20) revealed that all oligoporphyrin arrays, with or without appended methano[60]fullerene moieties, have an exceptional multicharge storage capacity due to the large number of electrons that can be reversibly exchanged. Some of the Zn^II porphyrins prepared in this study form infinite, one‐dimensional supramolecular networks in the solid state, in which the macrocycles interact with each other either through H‐bonding or metal ion coordination (Figs. 6 and 7).     

Modification of Supramolecular Binding Motifs Induced By Substrate Registry: Formation of Self‐Assembled Macrocycles and Chain‐Like Patterns

The self‐assembly properties of two Zn^II porphyrin isomers on Cu(111) are studied at different coverage by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Both isomers are substituted in their meso‐positions by two voluminous 3,5‐di(tert‐butyl)phenyl and two rod‐like 4′‐cyanobiphenyl groups, respectively. In the trans‐isomer, the two 4′‐cyanobiphenyl groups are opposite to each other, whereas they are located at right angle in the cis‐isomer. For coverage up to one monolayer, the cis‐substituted porphyrins self‐assemble to form oligomeric macrocycles held together by antiparallel CN???CN dipolar interactions and CN???H‐C(sp²) hydrogen bonding. Cyclic trimers and tetramers occur most frequently but everything from cyclic dimers to hexamers can be observed. Upon annealing of the samples at temperatures >150 °C, dimeric macrocyclic structures are observed, in which the two porphyrins are bridged by Cu atoms, originating from the surface, under formation of two CN???Cu???NC coordination bonds. The trans‐isomer builds up linear chains on Cu(111) at low coverage, whereas for higher coverage the molecules assemble in a periodic, densely packed structure. Both cis‐ and trans‐bis(4′‐cyanobiphenyl)‐substituted Zn^II porphyrins behave very differently on Cu(111) compared to similar porphyrins in literature on less reactive surfaces such as Au(111) and Ag(111). On the latter surfaces, there is no signal visible between molecular orientation and the crystal directions of the substrate, whereas on Cu(111), very strong adsorbate–substrate interactions have a dominating influence on all observed structures. This strong porphyrin–substrate interaction enables a much broader variety of structures, including also less favorable intermolecular bonding motifs and geometries.