Reactivity of silole within a core-modified porphyrin environment: synthesis of 21-silaphlorin and its conversion to carbacorrole

Condensation of 1,1-dimethyl-3,4-diphenyl-2,5-bis(p-tolylhydroxymethyl)silole with pyrrole and p-tolylaldehyde did not form the expected 21,21-dimethyl-2,3-diphenyl-5,10,15,20-tetra(p-tolyl)-21-silaporphyrin, but rather its reduced derivative, 21-silaphlorin, which contains a tetrahedrally hybridised C5 carbon atom. Attempts to trap 21-silaporphyrin resulted in the serendipitous discovery of a unique transformation of 21-silaphlorin into a non-aromatic isomer of 2,3-diphenyl-5,10,15,21-tetra(p-tolyl)-carbacorrole (iso-carbacorrole). This novel carbaporphyrinoid contains a cyclopentadiene ring embedded in a tripyrrolic framework. This transformation of 21-silaphlorin to iso-carbacorrole, carried out under oxidative conditions, involves extrusion of dimethylsilylene accompanied by migration of the C(meso)-(p-tolyl) unit to create a cyclopentadiene ring directly linked to the adjacent pyrrole through a tetrahedral carbon atom. Insertion of silver or copper ions into iso-carbacorrole gave two structurally related organometallic complexes of "true" carbacorrole in which the metal(III) ions are bound by three pyrrolic nitrogen atoms and a tetrahedrally hybridised C21 atom of the cyclopentadiene moiety. In the presence of oxygen, the silver(III) carbacorrole undergoes internal oxidation to 21-oxacorrole. The structure of silver(III) carbacorrole was determined by X-ray crystallography. The C21 atom was found to have a tetrahedral geometry. The Ag-C(sp(3)) (2.046(5) A) bond length is similar to that in silver(III) carbaporphyrinoids in which a trigonal carbon atom coordinates to the metal ion. Density functional theory was applied to model the molecular and electronic structure of 21-silaphlorin and feasible isomers of carbacorrole. The total energies (kcal mol(-1) vs. iso-carbacorrole), calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(**)//B3LYP/6-31G(*) level for carbacorrole, iso-carbacorrole, vacataporphyrin and cyclobutadienephlorin, demonstrate the energetic preference for iso-carbacorrole.     

A Rhodium‐Mediated Contraction of Benzene to Cyclopentadiene: Transformations of Rhodium(III) m‐Benziporphyrin

The contraction of benzene is one of an exclusive group of reactions where the cleavage of aromatic structure is of fundamental importance. Rhodium(III) m‐benziporphyrin undergoes an unprecedented transformation of the built‐in m‐phenylene in which a perimeter carbon atom is extruded to form rhodium(III) 21‐carbaporphyrin, stabilizing the formyl‐unit‐substituted rhodacyclopropane motif.     

A flexible porphyrin-annulene hybrid: a nonporphyrin conformation for meso-tetraaryldivacataporphyrin

An annulene–porphyrin hybrid, the diaaza‐deficient porphyrin 5,10,15,20‐tetraaryl‐21,23‐divacataporphyrin, has been synthesized by an extrusion of tellurium atom(s) from 5,10,15,20‐tetraaryl‐21,23‐ditelluraporphyrin under treatment with HCl. In addition, a monoaza‐deficient 5,10,15,20‐tetraaryl‐21‐tellura‐23‐vacataporphyrin was formed in the same reaction. The two new members of the vacataporphyrin family were characterized by X‐ray crystallography, as well as UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopy. These aromatic molecules preserve the fundamental structural and spectroscopic features of the parent tetraarylporphyrin. The X‐ray crystal structures of 21,23‐divacataporphyrin and 21‐tellura‐23‐vacataporphyrin show typical porphyrin patterns. The molecules are not strictly planar and show distortion of the annulene moieties. The N22???N24 distances (5.23 and 5.09 Å) are considerably longer than in regular porphyrins. For 21,23‐divacataporphyrin, variable‐temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopy data allowed the identification of divacataporphyrin stereoisomers differentiated by the geometry of the butadiene bridges. The forms remain in thermodynamic equilibrium.     

Toward aceneporphyrinoids: synthesis and transformations of palladium(II) meso-anthriporphyrin

meso-Anthriporphyrin is a carbaporphyrinoid with an anthracene ring embedded in the tripyrrolic framework. The coordination of palladium(II) results in a specific intramacrocyclic metal(II)-η(2)-CC interaction which facilitates the cleavage to palladium(II) acyclic oligopyrrole with the appended anthracene moiety.     

Nickel(II) and palladium(II) thiaethyneporphyrins. Intramolecular metal(II)-η2-CC interaction inside a porphyrinoid frame

3,18-Diphenyl-8,13-di-p-tolyl-20-thiaethyneporphyrin ([18]thiatriphyrin(4.1.1)), which formally contains an C1-C2 ethyne moiety instead of pyrrole embedded in the macrocyclic framework of 21-thiaporphyrin, was obtained in a modification of the "3 + 1" approach using the ethyne analogue of tripyrrane (1,4-diphenyl-1,4-di(pyrrol-2-yl)but-2-yne) and 2,5-bis(p-tolylhydroxymethyl)thiophene. The spectroscopic and structural properties of 20-thiaethyneporphyrin reflect its macrocyclic aromaticity, revealing a combination of the acetylene (≥C-C≡C-C≤) and cumulene (>C═C═C═C<) character of the C18-C1-C2-C3 linker. The magnetic manifestations of aromaticity and antiaromaticity of thiaethyneporphyrin and its two-electron-oxidized derivative were observed using (1)H NMR spectroscopy and were confirmed by density functional theory calculations involving chemical shifts and nucleus-independent chemical shift analysis. Protonation of 20-thiaethyneporphyrin yielded a nonaromatic tautomer of iso-20-thiaethyneporphyrin, locating the saturated meso carbon adjacent to thiophene. Insertion of palladium(II) and nickel(II) into 20-thiaethyneporphyrin afforded planar palladium(II) thiaethyneporphyrin and low-spin diamagnetic nickel(II) 20-thiaethyneporphyrin as determined by X-ray crystallography. 20-Thiaethyneporphyrin acts as a dianionic ligand that coordinates through the two nitrogen and one sulfur donors. Metal(II) ions are uniquely exposed to form an intramolecular metal(II)-η(2)-CC bond, whereas the organometallic fragment is coplanar with the whole macrocycle. Coordination of pyridine converts diamagnetic nickel(II) thiaethyneporphyrin into its paramagnetic counterpart as determined by (1)H NMR.     

Gold(III)‐Mediated Contraction of Benzene to Cyclopentadiene: From p‐Benziporphyrin to Gold(III) True Tetraarylcarbaporphyrin

The reaction of p‐benziporphyrin, sodium tetrachloroaurate(III) dihydrate, and potassium carbonate in dichloromethane yielded gold(III) 5,10,15,20‐tetraaryl‐21‐carbaporphyrin owing to the contraction of p‐phenylene to cyclopentadiene. This molecule is the very first representative of a true 5,10,15,20‐tetraaryl‐21‐carbaporphyrin complex where four trigonal donor atoms are involved in equatorial coordination. The contraction adds an unprecedented route to numerous organic transformations of aromatic compounds catalyzed by simple gold(III) compounds. p‐Benziporphyrin provided the unique environment to alter the fundamental reactivity of the benzene unit facilitating its contraction to cyclopentadiene.     

Thiaporphyrin with an Inverted Thiophene Ring – DFT Studies

The structure and electronic energy have been investigated applyingthe density functional theory (DFT) for two idealized 2-thia-21-carbaporphyrin, (SCP)H and (3H-SCP), 2-thia-21-carbaporphyrin anion (SCP)^- and 21-thiaporphyrin (SP)H. The analysis of calculated total electronic energies, using the B3LYP/6-31-G^* approach, demonstrates that the energy difference between 21-thiaporphyrin and its inverted isomer equals 10.34 kcal/mol [(SCP)H] and 52.08 kcal/mol [(3H-SCP)]. In contrast to 21-thiaporphyrin thethiophene fragments in (SCP)H and SCP^- present a geometry resembling that one of an isolated thiophene molecule.     

From para‐Benziporphyrin to Rhodium(III) 21‐Carbaporphyrins: Imprinting Rh⋅⋅⋅η2‐CC,Rh⋅⋅⋅η2‐CO,and Rh⋅⋅⋅η2‐CH Coordination Motifs

Rhodium(III) para‐benziporphyrin alters the fundamental reactivity of the built‐in para‐phenylene moiety. Due to additional macrocyclic stabilization, a sequence of intramolecular rearrangements are triggered to afford rhodium(III) 21‐carbaporphyrin, which incorporates the rhodacyclopropane motif. The peculiar reversible transformations of the bridging methylene unit provide an example of selective and reversible aliphatic C?H bond elimination. Rhodium(III) 21‐carbaporphyrin can be oxygenated to rhodium(III) 21‐oxy‐21‐carbaporphyrin, whereas the metal ion interacts with the C(21)?O(25) fragment in an η² fashion. This species demonstrates a remarkable axial affinity toward alkenes.