Deyaa I. AbuSalim

Synthesis of an adj-dicarbaporphyrin and the formation of an unprecedented tripalladium sandwich complex.

An adj-dicarbaporphyrin was prepared by carrying out a base-catalyzed MacDonald reaction between bis(3-indenyl)methane and a dipyrrylmethane dialdehyde. The porphyrinoid system exhibited highly diatropic characteristics, and the proton NMR spectrum gave resonances at -5.74 and -6.24 ppm for the internal NH and CH protons, respectively. The UV-vis spectrum was also porphyrin-like, giving a Soret band at 455 nm and a series of Q bands at longer wavelengths. Addition of trifluoroacetic acid gave a C-protonated monocation, and at higher acid concentrations a dicationic species was observed. Addition of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) afforded a monodeprotonated porphyrinoid anion. All of these species retained highly diatropic characteristics. Density functional theory calculations showed that a nonplanar tautomer with four internal hydrogens was favored, in agreement with the spectroscopic data. Nucleus-independent chemical shift calculations also confirmed the aromatic characteristics of the free-base, cationic, and anionic structures. The dicarbaporphyrin reacted with palladium(II) acetate in refluxing acetonitrile to give an unusual tripalladium sandwich complex consisting of two dianionic palladium(II) dicarbaporphyrin units surrounding a palladium(IV) cation with unique η(5) interactions involving meso-carbon atoms.

Relative Stability and Diatropic Character of Carbaporphyrin, Dicarbaporphyrin, Tricarbaporphyrin, and Quatyrin Tautomers

Monocarbaporphyrins, dicarbaporphyrins, tricarbaporphyrins, and quatyrins can all potentially exist in a number of tautomeric forms, but little is known about these species. In addition, no examples of tricarbaporphyrins or quatyrins are known at this time. In order to get information on the relative stabilities of carbaporphyrin tautomers, a series of aromatic and nonaromatic structures were assessed using computational methods. The conformations of 41 carbaporphyrin structures, together with four tautomers of porphyrin and the related antiaromatic species didehydroquatyrin, were minimized using DFT-B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). The relative stabilities of the tautomers for each series were computed, and the bond lengths and bond angles were calculated. Many aromatic carbaporphyrin structures have very crowded cavities with up to six hydrogens being present. However, this was not sufficient to destabilize the aromatic structures relative to the nonaromatic forms. Furthermore, nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) demonstrated that all of the porphyrinoids with 18-π-electron delocalization pathways are highly diatropic. adj-Dicarbaporphyrin and tricarbaporphyrin favor tautomers with an internal methylene group, while two interior methylenes are present in the favored tautomers for quatyrin. The results provide valuable information that will be helpful in designing synthetic routes to higher carbaporphyrinoid systems.

Preparation, Structural Characterization, Assessment of Potential Antiaromaticity and Metalation of 21-Oxyazuliporphyrins

Oxidation of tetraarylazuliporphyrins with silver(I) acetate in refluxing chloroform-acetonitrile afforded good yields of 21-oxyazuliporphyrins. Although hydroxyazuliporphyrin tautomers can be considered for this system, spectroscopic results and density functional theory calculations indicate that the keto form is favored, and this was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Oxyazuliporphyrins formally possess a 24π electron delocalization pathway, but the proton NMR spectra are consistent with macrocycles that have diatropic ring currents. Nucleus independent chemical shift and anisotropy of induced current density calculations also confirmed the diatropic nature of these macrocycles, although these results indicated that the seven-membered ring is antiaromatic. However, while the NMR spectra showed the azulene protons at atypically high field values, the results are consistent with a nonaromatic cycloheptatrienyl unit. Protonation gave dicationic products that exhibited enhanced diatropic character. Oxyazuliporphyrins readily form metalated derivatives with Ni(II), Pd(II), and Pt(II), and these complexes exhibited significant diatropic character even though the macrocycle is highly distorted. X-ray diffraction characterization of palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes demonstrated that these derivatives are structurally virtually identical to a previously reported copper(II) oxyazuliporphyrin.

Tropone-Fused Carbaporphyrins

Previous attempts to prepare tropone-fused carbaporphyrins by reacting peroxides with azuliporphyrins under basic conditions afforded benzocarbaporphyrins instead. In this study, a methoxyazulitripyrrane condensed with a pyrrole dialdehyde in the presence of TFA, followed by oxidation with ferric chloride, to give a tropone-fused carbaporphyrin following a spontaneous demethylation. The porphyrinoid gave a modified UV-vis spectrum showing multiple bands in the Soret region, and the proton NMR spectrum showed that it has a reduced diamagnetic ring current in comparison to other carbaporphyrins. The tropone-fused derivative failed to react with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and potassium hydroxide, demonstrating that this type of structure is not an intermediate in the formation of benzocarbaporphyrins. However, the reaction with silver(I) acetate gave the corresponding silver(III) complex. Condensation of the methoxyazulitripyrrane with 2,5-thiophenedicarbaldehyde gave a related tropone-fused thiacarbaporphyrin together with a methoxythiaazuliporphyrin. Treatment of the carbaporphyrins with DBU resulted in the formation of anionic species, while addition of acid afforded dicationic structures. DFT studies were performed on a series of tautomers, protonated species, and anionic structures related to these tropone-fused carbaporphyrins, and NICS calculations were carried out. These results allowed favorable conjugation pathways to be identified. In addition, these studies predicted that protonation initially occurs on the carbonyl moiety rather than on the expected interior pyrrolenine nitrogen atom.

Pyreniporphyrins: Porphyrin Analogues That Incorporate a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Subunit within the Macrocyclic Framework

The first examples of porphyrin analogues incorporating pyrene units are reported. Acid-catalyzed condensation of a pyrene dialdehyde with a tripyrrane, followed by oxidation with DDQ, afforded a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-porphyrin hybrid in 38% yield. Pyreniporphyrin proved to be devoid of global aromatic character, but upon protonation aromatic mono- and dicationic species were generated. In the proton NMR spectrum for the dication, the internal CH was shifted upfield to approximately +3 ppm. NICS calculations and ACID plots confirmed the diatropic nature of these structures. Pyreniporphyrin reacted with palladium(II) acetate to give excellent yields of a palladium(II) complex that showed weakly diatropic properties. Treatment of the pyrene dialdehyde with phenylmagnesium bromide generated a dicarbinol that reacted with excess pyrrole in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give a tripyrrane analogue. Lewis acid catalyzed ring closure with a thiophene dialcohol in 2% ethanol-dichloromethane afforded a tetraphenylthiapyreniporphyrin in 31% yield. This porphyrinoid was nonaromatic in the free-base form but showed significant diatropicity upon protonation. These results demonstrate that PAH-porphyrin hybrids are easily accessible, and this strategy may allow the incorporation of even larger aromatic subunits.

In Pursuit of Novel Porphyrin Isomers. Aromatic Character and Relative Stability of Conjugated Tetrapyrroles with Two Neo-Confused Rings or with Mixed Neo-Confused and N-Confused Subunits

The conformations of five doubly neo-confused porphyrin structures and fifty-four neo-confused N-confused porphyrin (neo-C-NCP) tautomers were minimized using DFT-B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). The relative stabilities of the tautomers for each series were computed using M06-2X and B3LYP-D functionals, and the bond lengths and bond angles were calculated. Nucleus-independent chemical shifts and anisotropy of induced current density plots were used to provide further insights into the diatropic properties of each species. The results demonstrate that porphyrinoid structures with two modified rings of this type are far less stable than porphyrins, N-confused porphyrins, or neo-confused porphyrins, but the fully conjugated tautomers retain highly diatropic characteristics. Nevertheless, the lowest-energy neo-C-NCP tautomers have similar relative energies to known doubly N-confused porphyrins, and the results suggest that these types of porphyrin isomers may be synthetically accessible.

Synthesis of Expanded Porphyrinoids with Azulene and Indene Subunits and an opp-Dioxadicarbaporphyrin from Fulvene Carbinols and a Dioxacarbatripyrrin

In an attempt to prepare quatyrin derivatives, which are hydrocarbon analogues of the porphyrins, azulene-appended fulvene carbinols were self-condensed in the presence of BF3·Et2O. Although these investigations failed to give structures related to quatyrin, expanded porphyrin analogues were obtained instead. In dichloromethane, the major macrocyclic product consisted of three fulvene units, but when chloroform was used as the reaction solvent, a tetrafulvene macrocycle was isolated. Self-condensation of a furan-appended fulvene alcohol gave trace amounts of an opp-dioxadicarbaporphyrin. An alternative route to this novel system was developed where a dioxacarbatripyrrin was condensed with an indene dialdehyde in the presence of HBr. The heterodicarbaporphyrinoid proved to have strong globally aromatic properties as assessed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, anisotropy of induced current density, and NICS calculations. In the presence of excess trifluoroacetic acid, an unstable aromatic cation was formed by C-protonation of an indene subunit. This species was also highly diatropic, and the 1H NMR spectrum gave an unusually high Δδ value of 17.46 ppm.

Naphtho[2,3-b]carbaporphyrins

Acid-catalyzed condensation of a benzo[ f]indane dialdehyde with a tripyrrane, followed by an oxidation step, afforded the first example of a naphtho[2,3- b]-21-carbaporphyrin. This π-extended porphyrinoid system is strongly aromatic and gave a porphyrin-like UV-vis spectrum with a Soret band at 432 nm. Protonation with TFA gave a monocation, but under highly acidic conditions a C-protonated dication was generated. Reaction of the naphthoporphyrin with ferric chloride produced a 21-chloro derivative. Alkylation with methyl iodide and potassium carbonate gave a 22-methyl derivative, and this reacted with palladium(II) acetate to afford a palladium(II) complex in which the internal methyl group had migrated from a nitrogen to a carbon atom. Treatment of the naphthocarbaporphyrin with silver(I) acetate generated the corresponding silver(III) complex. In naphtho[2,3- b]-21-carbaporphyrin and many of its derivatives, the aromatic conjugation pathways appear to bypass the naphthalene unit, and for this reason the UV-vis spectra were little affected. However, the diprotonated dication and the palladium(II) complex have aromatic pathways that pass through the naphthalene moiety, and this leads to large bathochromic shifts for these species. The results provide insights on the influence of fused aromatic units on the reactivity, spectroscopic properties, and aromatic characteristics of carbaporphyrinoid systems.