Factors Controlling the Spectroscopic Properties and Supramolecular Chemistry of an Electron Deficient 5,5-Dimethylphlorin Architecture.

A new 5,5-dimethylphlorin derivative (3H(PhlCF3 )) was prepared and studied through a combination of redox, photophysical, and computational experiments. The phlorin macrocycle is significantly distorted from planarity compared to more traditional tetrapyrrole architectures and displays solvatochroism in the soret region of the UV-vis spectrum (∼370-420 nm). DFT calculations indicate that this solvatochromic behavior stems from the polarized nature of the frontier orbital (LUMO+1) that is most heavily involved in these transitions. Compound 3H(PhlCF3 ) also displays an intriguing supramolecular chemistry with certain anions; this phlorin can cooperatively hydrogen-bond two equivalents of fluoride to form 3H(PhlCF3 )·2F- but does not bind larger halides such as Cl- or Br-. Analogous studies revealed that the phlorin can hydrogen-bond with carboxylate anions such as acetate to form 1:1 complexes such as 3H(PhlCF3 )·OAc- . These supramolecular assemblies are robust and form even in relatively polar solvents such as MeCN. Hydrogen-bonding of fluoride and acetate anions to the phlorin N-H residues significantly attenuates the redox and photophysical properties of the phlorin. Moreover, The ability to independently vary the size and pKa of a series of carboxylate hydrogen-bond acceptors has allowed us to probe how phlorin-anion association is controlled by the anion's size and/or basicity. These studies elucidate the physical properties and the electronic effects that shape the supramolecular chemistry displayed by the phlorin platform.

Synthesis, electrochemistry, and photophysics of a family of phlorin macrocycles that display cooperative fluoride binding.

A homologous set of 5,5-dimethylphlorin macrocycles in which the identity of one aryl ring is systematically varied has been prepared. These derivatives contain ancillary pentafluorophenyl (3H(Phl(F))), mesityl (3H(Phl(Mes))), 2,6-bismethoxyphenyl (3H(Phl(OMe))), 4-nitrophenyl (3H(Phl(NO2))), or 4-tert-butylcarboxyphenyl (3H(Phl(CO2tBu))) groups at the 15-meso-position. These porphyrinoids were prepared in good yields (35-50%) and display unusual multielectron redox and photochemical properties. Each phlorin can be oxidized up to three times at modest potentials and can be reduced twice. The electron-donating and electron-releasing properties of the ancillary aryl substituent attenuate the potentials of these redox events; phlorins containing electron-donating aryl groups are easier to oxidize and harder to reduce, while the opposite trend is observed for phlorins containing electron-withdrawing functionalities. Phlorin substitution also has a pronounced effect on the observed photophysics, as introduction of electron-releasing aryl groups on the periphery of the macrocycle is manifest in larger emission quantum yields and longer fluorescence lifetimes. Each phlorin displays an intriguing supramolecular chemistry and can bind 2 equiv of fluoride. This binding is allosteric in nature, and the strength of halide binding correlates with the ability of the phlorin to stabilize the buildup of charge. Moreover, fluoride binding to generate complexes of the form 3H(Phl(R))·2F(-) modulates the redox potentials of the parent phlorin. As such, titration of phlorin with a source of fluoride represents a facile method to tune the ability of this class of porphyrinoid to absorb light and engage in redox chemistry.