Macrocyclic conjugation pathways in porphyrins

Macrocyclic aromaticity is the most important concept in porphyrinoid chemistry. Bond resonance energy (BRE) for any pi-bond linking adjacent pyrrolic or other rings represents the stabilization energy due to macrocyclic aromaticity. We found that a main conjugation pathway associated with macrocyclic aromaticity can be traced by choosing a pi-bond with a larger BRE at every bifurcation of the pi-network. All pi-bonds located along the main conjugation pathway are intensified with large positive BREs compared with those located along the bypasses. On the other hand, a main destabilization pathway associated with macrocyclic antiaromaticity can be traced by choosing a pi-bond with a smaller BRE at every bifurcation of the pi-network. Macrocyclic conjugation pathways thus determined are fully consistent with the chemical shifts of protons attached to the macrocycle.     

Unique Role of Heterole-Fused Structures in Aromaticity and Physicochemical Properties of 7,8-Dehydropurpurins

Porphyrins with a fused five-membered ring, such as 7,8-dehydropurpurins, have appeared as an emerging class of unique porphyrinoids. Their altered absorption spectra, relatively short lifetimes of excited states, and small HOMO–LUMO gaps arise from the harmony of the antiaromatic 20π-circuit and the aromatic 18π-circuit. In this regard, the electronic properties of 7,8-dehydropurpurins are expected to be controlled by modulating the contribution of the antiaromatic π-circuit to the whole aromaticity. Here the comparison of pyrrole- and phosphole-fused 7,8-dehydropurpurins is reported in terms of their aromaticity and physicochemical properties. The spectroscopic investigation revealed the larger contribution of the antiaromatic 24π-circuit in pyrrole-fused 7,8-dehyrdopurpurins than in phosphole-fused 7,8-dehydropurpurins. The DFT calculations also supported the feasibility of tuning the aromaticity of 7,8-dehydropurpurins by heterole-fused structures. Thus, the introduction of heterole-fused structures into porphyrinoids is a universal strategy to get new insight into aromaticity and their intrinsic properties in cyclic π-conjugated molecules.     

A Macrocyclic Furan with Accessible Oxidation States: Switching Between Aromatic and Antiaromatic Global Ring Currents

Macrocyclic furans are predicted to switch between global aromaticity and antiaromaticity, depending on their oxidation states. However, the macrocyclic furans reported to date are stabilized by electron withdrawing groups, which result in inaccessible oxidation states. To circumvent this problem, a post-macrocyclization approach was applied to introduce methylene-substituted macrocyclic furans, which display an extremely low oxidation potential of −0.23 vs. Fc/Fc⁺, and are partially oxidized in ambient conditions. Additional oxidation to the dication results in aromaticity switching to a global 30πe⁻ aromatic state, as indicated by the formation of a strong diatropic current observed in the ¹H NMR spectrum. NICS and ACID calculations support this trend and provide evidence for a different pathway for the global current in the neutral and dicationic states. According to these findings, macrocyclic furans can be rendered as promising p-type materials with stable oxidation states.     

Ring Size Determines the Conformation,Global Aromaticity and Photophysical Properties of Macrocyclic Oligofurans

In π-conjugated macrocycles, there is a trade-off between the global and local expression of effects such as aromaticity, with the outcome of the trade-off determined by the geometry and aromaticity of the constituent units. Compared with other aromatic rings, the aromatic character of furan is relatively small, and therefore global effects in macrocyclic furans are expected to be more pronounced. Following our introduction of macrocyclic oligofuran, we present the first synthesis of a series of π-conjugated bifuran macrocycles of various ring sizes, from trimer to hexamer, and characterize them using both computational and experimental methods. The properties of macrocyclic oligofurans change considerably with size: The smaller trimer is rigid, weakly emissive and planar as revealed by its single crystal structure, and displays global antiaromaticity. In contrast, the larger pentamer and hexamer are flexible, emissive, have non-planar structures, and exhibit local aromaticity. The results are supported by NICS and ACID calculations that indicate the global antiaromaticity of planar furan macrocycles, and by transient absorption measurements showing sharp absorption band for the trimer and only the internal conversion decay pathway.     

Aromaticity Switching in Porphyrinoids

The aromaticity of porphyrinoids can be substantially altered by reversible modification of their original electronic structures. Well‐defined modulators can be used as a means to initiate these modifications, including redox processes, acid–base chemistry, and conformational phenomena. This Focus Review emphasizes the situation for which a single macrocyclic frame alternatively adopts diatropic and paratropic features and both situations are readily and mutually exchangeable. Eventually, such a porphyrinoid transformation can be explored as a suitable element to construct switchable optoelectronic materials.     

Exploration of the π-electronic structure of singlet, triplet, and quintet states of fulvenes and fulvalenes using the electron localization function

The singlet ground states and lowest triplet states of penta- and heptafulvene, their benzannulated derivatives, as well as the lowest quintet states of pentaheptafulvalenes, either the parent compound or compounds in which the two rings are intercepted by either an alkynyl or a phenyl segment, were investigated at the (U)OLYP/6-311G(d,p) density functional theory level. The influence of (anti)aromaticity was analyzed by the structure-based aromaticity index HOMA, the harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity. The extent of (anti)aromatic character was also evaluated in terms of the π-electron (de)localization as measured by the π component of the electron localization function (ELF(π)). The natural atomic orbital (NAO) occupancies were calculated in order to evaluate the degree of π-electron shift caused by the opposing electron-counting rules for aromaticity in the electronic ground state (S(0); Hückel's rule) and the first ππ* excited triplet state (T(1); Baird's rule). Pentaheptafulvalene (5) shows a shift of 0.5 π electrons from the 5-ring to the 7-ring when going from the S(0) state to the lowest quintet state (Qu(1)). The pentaheptafulvalene 5 and [5.6.7]quinarene 7 were also investigated in their 90° twisted conformations. From our study it is apparent that excitation localization in fulvalenes, but not in fulvenes, to a substantial degree is determined by aromaticity localization to triplet biradical 4n π-electron cycles. Isolated benzene rings in these compounds tend to remain as closed-shell 6π-electron cycles.     

Novel expanded porphyrinoids with multiple-inner-ring-fusion and/or tunable aromaticity

Novel expanded porphyrinoids with advanced structure features have a wide range of benefits (such as multi-metal coordination and facile tunable aromaticity) not offered by their normal porphyrin analogues. Considering research efforts have been devoted to address their limited synthetic accessibility issue. This review highlights some of these recent synthetic progresses towards these novel expanded porphyrinoids.     

Novel expanded porphyrinoids with multiple-inner-ring-fusion and/or tunable aromaticity

Novel expanded porphyrinoids with advanced structure features(such as multiple-inner-ring-fusion)have a wide range of benefits(such as multi-metal coordination and facile tunable aromaticity) not offered by their normal porphyrin analogues,and have found wide applications as sensors,fluorescent probes,novel ligands and functionalized NIR organic dyes in various research fields.However,the structures of these expanded porphyrinoids are scarce due to their limited synthetic accessibility.Herein,we summarized the lately reported efficient synthesis of novel expanded porphyrinoids with multipleinner-ring-fusion(up to six-inner-ring-fusion) and smaragdyrins with tunable aromaticity.Their synthesis is either based on an oxidative ring cyclization on linear/macrocyclic oligopyrroles containing N-confused pyrrole unit(s) or a straightforward double SNAr reaction on readily available 3,5-dibromoBODIPY,respectively.     

Viability of möbius topologies in [26]- and [28]hexaphyrins

Recently, hexaphyrins have emerged as a promising class of π-conjugated molecules that display a range of interesting electronic, optical, and conformational properties, including the formation of stable M?bius aromatic systems. Besides the M?bius topology, hexaphyrins can adopt a variety of conformations with Hückel and twisted Hückel topologies, which can be interconverted under certain conditions. To determine the optimum conditions for viable M?bius topologies, the conformational preferences of [26]- and [28]hexaphyrins and the dynamic interconversion between the M?bius and Hückel topologies were investigated by density functional calculations. In the absence of meso?substituents, [26]hexaphyrin prefers a planar dumbbell conformation, strongly aromatic and relatively strain free. The M?bius topology is highly improbable: the most stable tautomer is 33?kcal?mol(-1) higher in energy than the global minimum. On the other hand, the M?bius conformer of [28]hexaphyrin is only 6.5?kcal?mol(-1) higher in energy than the most stable dumbbell conformation. This marked difference is due to aromatic stabilization in the M?bius 4n electron macrocycle as opposed to antiaromatic destabilization in the 4n+2 electron system, as revealed by several energetic, magnetic, structural, and reactivity indices of aromaticity. For [28]hexaphyrins, the computed activation barrier for interconversion between the M?bius aromatic and Hückel antiaromatic conformers ranges from 7.2 to 10.2?kcal?mol(-1) , in very good agreement with the available experimental data. The conformation of the hexaphyrin macrocycle is strongly dependent on oxidation state and solvent, and this feature creates a promising platform for the development of molecular switches.     

Defining rules of aromaticity: a unified approach to the Hückel, Clar and Randić concepts

The molecular structure of any system may be unambiguously described by its adjacency matrix, A, in which bonds are assigned entry a(ij) = 1 and non-bonded pairs of atoms entry a(ij) = 0. For π-electron-containing conjugated hydrocarbons, this matrix may be modified in order to represent one of the possible Kekulé structures by assigning entry 1 to double bonds and entry 0 to single bonds, leading to the Kekulé matrix K which can be obtained from the A matrix by subtracting 1 from elements a(pq) that represent single bonds in the Kekulé structure. The A and K matrices are the boundary cases of a general matrix A(ε), named perturbation matrix, in which from elements a(pq) that represent single bonds is subtracted a value ε∈<0,1> representing the magnitude of the perturbation. The determinant of the A(ε) matrix is unambiguously represented by an appropriate polynomial that, in turn, can be written in a form containing terms ±(1-ε)(N/2) that identify types of π-electron conjugated cycles (N is the corresponding number of π-electrons). If the sign before the term is (+), then the contribution is stabilizing, but if it is (-) the contribution is destabilizing. The approach shows why and how the Hückel rule works, how the Randi? conjugated circuits result from the analysis of canonical structures, and also how the Clar rule may be extended to include aromatic cycles larger than six-membered (aromatic sextet).     

Silicon-containing formal 4π-electron four-membered ring systems: antiaromatic, aromatic, or nonaromatic?

Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP) have been carried out to investigate the 4π-electron systems of 2,4-disila-1,3-diphosphacyclobutadiene (compound 1) and the tetrasilacyclobutadiene dication (compound 2). The calculated nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values for these two compounds are negative, which indicates that the core rings of compounds 1 and 2 have a certain amount of aromaticity. However, deep electronic analysis reveals that neither of these two formal 4π-electron four-membered ring systems is aromatic. Compound 1 has very weak, almost negligible antiaromaticity, and the amidinate ligands attached to the Si atoms play an important role in stabilizing this conjugated 4π-electron system. The monoanionic bidentate ligand interacts with the conjugated π?system to cause π-orbital splitting. This ligand-induced π-orbital splitting effect provides an opportunity to manipulate the gap between occupied and unoccupied π?orbitals in conjugated systems. Conversely, compound 2 is nonaromatic because its core ring does not have a conjugated π?ring system and does not fulfill the requirements of a Hückel system.     

Synthesis and Switching the Aromatic Character of Oxatriphyrins(2.1.1)

Triangularly shaped, contracted porphyrinoids belong to a group of molecules where the geometry significantly modifies the observed electronic properties. The need for a controllable, effective, and widely applicable approach to triphyrins drives extensive research towards macrocyclic materials that act as potential controlling motifs by switching their aromaticity. Two isomeric thiophene‐fused triphyrins(2.1.1) were synthesized by applying an innovative approach. Spectroscopic techniques (NMR, UV/Vis) show that both macrocycles are aromatic and quantitatively convert into anti‐aromatic structures after reduction with a zinc amalgam. The reduced forms were stabilized through boron(III) coordination, thereby allowing the observation of anti‐aromatic 16 π delocalization within a contracted porphyrin.     

Reviewing extrapolation procedures of the electronic properties on the π-conjugated polymer limit

In this article, the extrapolation procedures of π-π* electronic transition energy on π-conjugated oligomers are reexamined. Different models, including the simplest coupled oscillator, the free electron, the Hückel approach, the molecular exciton model, and some specific fitting-functions, are compared using the transition energies derived from theoretical calculations on three thiophene-based oligomer series. Specifically, oligomers of up to 30 repeating units have been considered to include the saturation effects as a function of chain length. The coupled oscillator model of W. Kuhn and the fitting-function of Hirayama are the models that present the better suit on the transition energy interpolation as a function of chain length. Using only the first four oligomers of the series (n = 2 up to 8) yields an estimation of the transition energy on the polymer limit with an average error of ～1.5%. The vertical and adiabatic ionization potential present a better fit with the Hückel model approach. Finally, implications of the environmental polarity on the electronic properties, molecular geometry, charge distribution, and aromaticity are shortly discussed.     

A Triply [5]Helicene-Bridged (1,3,5)Cyclophane

A rigid propeller-shaped conjugated triple macrocycle consisting of two nearly perfectly stacked benzene rings and three linking [5]helicene moieties has been synthesized using a glyoxylic Perkin approach. Analysis of the electron delocalization in this atypical aromatic molecule revealed global aromaticity and a 78 π-electron circuit along the edge of its triple loop, to the detriment of the two 6 π-electron circuits in the two stacked benzene rings.     

The chemistry of four-membered aromatics

This article provides an overview on the aromatic systems of four-membered rings. These aromatic four-membered ring systems are rather exotic because of a poor correspondence between the Hückel rule and the structure of four-membered rings. Consequently, such aromatics are generally dications or dianions, to form 2π or 6π electron systems respectively. Alternatively, the use of open-shell structures or empty d-orbitals of transition metal atoms could give neutral aromatic four-membered ring systems. This paper summarizes the four-membered aromatic compounds reported to date and describes the various methods for evaluating their aromaticity.     

Investigation of aromaticity and photophysical properties in [18]/[20]π porphycene derivatives

In this study, we have investigated the relationship between aromaticity and photophysical properties of trifluoromethyl-substituted [18]/[20]π porphycenes by using theoretical calculations and various spectroscopic methodologies. Interestingly, we have found that the HOMO-LUMO gap of [20]π porphycene is larger than that of [18]π porphycene, which is in a sharp contrast with those of typical [4n]/[4n+2]π porphyrinoids. Based on our observations, we demonstrate that the origin of this contrasting feature of [20]π porphycene arises from the uniquely large energy splitting between LUMO and LUMO+1 of [18]π porphycene compared with other aromatic [4n+2]π porphyrinoids with nearly degenerate LUMO/LUMO+1. Consequently, we can propose that the energy difference between LUMO and LUMO+1 levels of aromatic [4n+2]π porphyrinoids is an important factor in determining the electronic nature of their corresponding antiaromatic [4n]π porphyrinoids. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to illustrate the photophysical properties of porphycenes with [4n]π electronic circuits.     

Electronic properties and aromaticity of substituted diphenylfulvenes in the ground (S<Subscript>0</Subscript>) and excited (T<Subscript>1</Subscript>) states

In the present account, we investigate electronic properties of diphenylfulvene and its derivatives substituted in phenyl rings. The results were compared with the analogous properties of fulvene and its derivatives with the same substituents at the exocyclic carbon atom. All properties were evaluated and compared in the ground electronic S₀ state and in the first excited T₁ triplet state. These properties are dipole moments, charges, number of π electrons, and aromaticity of the fulvenic, five-membered ring in the two sets of compounds. The latter property was estimated by the harmonic oscillator model for aromaticity (HOMA) index and, for the fulvenes group, by the calculation of aromatic stabilization energy in both electronic states. It was also investigated whether Baird’s rule alone can account for the aromaticity differences in the two electronic states.     

Deprotonation‐Induced Aromaticity Enhancement and New Conjugated Networks in meso‐Hexakis(pentafluorophenyl)[26]hexaphyrin

meso‐Hexakis(pentafluorophenyl)‐substituted neutral hexaphyrin with a 26π‐electronic circuit can be regarded as a real homolog of porphyrin with an 18π‐electronic circuit with respect to a quite flat molecular structure and strong aromaticity. We have investigated additional aromaticity enhancement of meso‐hexakis(pentafluorophenyl)[26]hexaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1) by deprotonation of the inner N? H groups in the macrocyclic molecular cavity to try to induce further structural planarization. Deprotonated mono‐ and dianions of [26]hexaphyrin display sharp B‐like bands, remarkably strong fluorescence, and long‐lived singlet and triplet excited‐states, which indicate enhanced aromaticity. Structural, spectroscopic, and computational studies have revealed that deprotonation induces structural deformations, which lead to a change in the main conjugated π‐electronic circuit and cause enhanced aromaticity.     

基于大环分子的主客体超分子荧光探针

针对环境污染源的早期检测和疾病的预防与治疗已经研究开发出许多检测技术手段,其中,荧光探针作为一种方便、灵敏、可视化的检测技术得到了广泛关注与认可。大环分子荧光探针作为一类重要的荧光探针逐渐引起了研究者的关注。大环分子具有特定尺寸、可特异性配合某些基团的空腔。因此,在设计这类荧光探针时可以充分利用大环分子的空腔优势。此外,大环分子容易通过化学修饰制备多种功能化衍生物,这也为设计大环荧光探针提供了更多选择。本文回顾了大环分子荧光探针的设计策略,主要从探针的化学组成以及相互作用机理来阐述,为大环分子荧光探针的设计提供了系统的理论指导。     

Excited-State Aromaticity of Gold(III) Hexaphyrins and Metalation Effect Investigated by Time-Resolved Electronic and Vibrational Spectroscopy

Expanded porphyrins with appropriate metalation provide an excellent opportunity to study excited-state aromaticity. The coordinated metal allows the excited-state aromaticity in the triplet state to be detected through the heavy-atom effect, but other metalation effects on the excited-state aromaticity were ambiguous. Herein, the excited-state aromaticity of gold(III) hexaphyrins through the relaxation dynamics was revealed via electronic and vibrational spectroscopy. The S_Q states of gold [26]- and [28]-hexaphyrins showed interconvertible absorption and IR spectra with those of counterparts in the ground-state, indicating aromaticity reversal. Furthermore, while the T₁ states of gold [28]-hexaphyrins also exhibited reversed aromaticity according to Baird's rule, the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer state of gold [26]-hexaphyrins contributed by the gold metal showed non-aromatic features arising from the odd-number of π-electrons.