Structures and spectroscopic properties of meso-tetrasubstituted porphyrin complexes: Meso-substitutional and central metallic effect study based on density functional theory calculations

Effects of the meso-substituents and central metals on the molecular structures, atomic charges, molecular orbital energy gaps, electronic absorption spectra, and infrared (IR) spectra of 12 meso-tetrasubstituted porphyrin complexes including metal-free porphyrins H₂P or (Por = TPP, TFPP, TClPP, TPyP) (1–4) and their metal complexes MPor (M = Mg, Zn; Por = TPP, TFPP, TClPP, TPyP) (5–12) TPP = meso-tetrakis(phenyl)porphyrinate; TFPP = meso-tetrakis(4-fluorophenyl)porphyrinate; TClPP = meso-tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)porphyrinate; TPyP = meso-tetrakis(4-pyridyl) porphyrinate] are systematically studied by density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. Good consistency was found between the calculated molecular structures and the experimental X-ray crystallography ones for 1, 3, and 4, and between the simulated electronic absorption and IR spectra and the experimental ones for 1 and 4. The calculation results reveal that introducing substituents at the meso positions of porphyrin induces increasing change in the molecular structures, atomic charges distribution, HOMO and LUMO energy, electronic absorption spectra, and IR spectra along with the increase in the electron-withdrawing ability of substituents in the order of phenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, and pyridyl group. Furthermore, the central metal in porphyrins displays much significant influence on the structure and spectroscopic properties of meso-substituted porphyrin complexes. The electronic absorption and IR spectra of 1–12 are compared and assigned in detail. The present work should be not only helpful towards understanding the meso-substitutional and central metallic effects on the structure and spectroscopic properties of meso-substituted porphyrin complexes, but also useful in correctly assigning electronic absorption and IR spectra for porphyrin complexes.