2-Aryl-3H-1,3-Benzazaphosphole Oxides: Synthesis, Optical Properties, and Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer.

Inclusion of a heteroatom to the phosphole ring is a promising strategy to intrinsically modulate the optical properties of phosphole derivatives. We report on a series of 2-aryl-3H-1,3-benzazaphosphole oxides that were efficiently prepared via sequential C-P cross-coupling, dehydrative [3+2] cycloaddition, and ring-oxidation reactions. The inclusion of one nitrogen atom into the benzophosphole framework caused red shifting of the absorption and emission maxima, reflecting the greater stabilization of the LUMO level. 2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)benzazaphosphole oxide underwent excited state intramolecular proton transfer and emitted a weak fluorescence from the excited state of the N-H tautomer.

Synthesis, Structure, and Redox and Optical Properties of 5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-5-azaporphyrinium Salts.

The fundamental properties of azaporphyrins can be modulated over a wide range by changing the number of meso-nitrogen atoms. Reported herein are the first examples of 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5-azaporphyrinium (MTAMAP) salts, which were prepared via metal-templated cyclization of the corresponding zinc(II) and copper(II) complexes of 10-aryl-1-chloro-19-benzoyl-5,15-dimesityl-10-azabiladiene-ac. The inclusion of one meso-nitrogen atom in the 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrin skeleton considerably changes the redox and optical properties as well as the degree of aromaticity of the porphyrin ring. The present findings suggest that MTAMAP salts would be promising scaffolds for the development of new azaporphyrin-based ionic fluorophores and photosensitizers.

Recent advances in the synthesis of diazaporphyrins and their chalcogen derivatives.

Porphyrins are highly influential functional materials in the field of science owing to their fascinating colors and diverse electrochemical and optical properties. Peripheral modification of porphyrin rings with nitrogen is an attractive approach for imparting unprecedented functions to both natural and artificial pophyrins. Diazaporphyrins (DAPs) are a class of compounds that have two meso-nitrogen atoms. DAPs exhibit characteristic redox and optical properties that differ significantly from those of porphyrins. The preparation and chemical functionalization of DAP-based sensitizers, catalysts, and materials have gained significant attention in various fields such as medical science, organic synthesis, and materials chemistry. This review focuses on recent advances in the synthesis of diazaporphyrins and their chalcogen derivatives, including historically important examples.

Synthesis and Optical Properties of 1,2,5,10-Tetraphenylanthra[2,3-b]phosphole Derivatives.

1,2,5,10-Tetraphenylanthra[2,3-b]phosphole oxides and 1-methyl-1,2,5,10-tetraphenylanthra[2,3-b]phospholium salts were prepared, and their optical properties were investigated. The substituent at the para position and the fused anthracene moiety were found to exert significant impacts on the fluorescence properties of the P-bridged 2-styrylanthracene skeleton.

Doubly Strapped Redox-Switchable 5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids: Promising Platforms for the Evaluation of Paratropic and Diatropic Ring-Current Effects.

This paper presents a novel series of chemically stable and redox-switchable 20π, 19π, and 18π 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids (TADAPs) that have two alkyl-chain straps above and below the diazaporphyrin ring. Three types of doubly strapped TADAPs were prepared as nickel(II) complexes using meso-N-(2,6-dihydroxyphenyl)-substituted TADAP and the corresponding aliphatic diacids as precursors. Theoretical calculations revealed that regardless of their oxidation states, all strapped TADAPs had essentially flat π-planes. It was found that the alkyl-chain straps slightly affected the optical and electrochemical properties of the DAP rings, particularly in the oxidized forms. 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to evaluate the antiaromatic character of the 20π TADAPs and the aromatic character of the 18π TADAP dications, and it was observed that they displayed paratropic and diatropic ring-current effects, respectively, on the chemical shifts of methylene protons in the spatially separated alkyl chains. The degree of shielding and deshielding depended on the position of the methylene units; it decreased with increase in separation from the π-plane and central axis of the porphyrin ring. The NMR experiments also revealed that the degree of the diatropic ring currents was clearly related to the π-electron density of the porphyrin ring; the ring-current effects decreased as the charge increased from 0 to +2. These findings are also qualitatively supported by the nucleus-independent chemical shifts.

Synthesis of Aza-, Oxa-, and Thiaporphyrins and Related Compounds.

Chemical modification at the periphery with nitrogen or chalcogens is a highly promising strategy to diversify the optical, electrochemical, magnetic, and coordination properties of the porphyrin family. Indeed, various kinds of phthalocyanines and related benzo-annelated azaporphyrinoids have been synthesized, and their fundamental properties have been extensively investigated. However, the synthesis of heteroatom-containing porphyrins in which the peripheral methine groups are partially replaced with nitrogen or chalcogens remains a considerable challenge. In this review, we will focus mainly on recent advances in the synthesis of aza-, oxa-, and thiaorphyrins and related compounds, including historically important examples.

Synthesis of 3,5-Disubstituted BODIPYs Bearing N-Containing Five-Membered Heteroaryl Groups via Nucleophilic C-N Bond Formation.

Aromatic substitution reactions were applied to the divergent synthesis of a series of symmetrically and unsymmetrically 3,5-disubstituted BODIPYs bearing N-heteroaryl groups. Furthermore, the effect of N-heteroaryl substituents at the 3- and 5-positions on the optical and photophysical properties of the BODIPY π-electron system was elucidated.

Phosphole-Thiophene Hybrid: A Dual Role of Dithieno[3,4- b:3',4'- d]phosphole as Electron Acceptor and Electron Donor.

We have synthesized dithieno[3,4- b:3',4'- d]phosphole derivatives as a new type of thiophene-fused phospholes. These dithienophospholes were found to show intramolecular charge transfer interactions by introducing electron-donating or -withdrawing groups on the peripheral aryl groups. Namely, they exhibit the unique hybrid character of electron-withdrawing phosphole and electron-donating thiophene.

Direct and Regioselective Amination of ß-Unsubstituted 5,15-Diazaporphyrins with Amines: A Convenient Route to Near-Infrared-Responsive Diazaporphyrin Sensitizers.

We have established a convenient method for the base-promoted direct amination of ß-unsubstituted 5,15-diazaporphyrins (DAPs) with secondary and primary amines to produce 3,7,13,17-tetraamino- and 3-amino-DAPs, respectively, regioselectively. The amino groups attached at the periphery cause significant red shifts of the absorption bands as a result of their perturbation of the HOMO and/or LUMO in the DAP π-system. The palladium complex of a 3,7,13,17-tetrakis(diphenylamino)-DAP generated singlet oxygen in high yield under irradiation with near-infrared light.

Syntheses, Properties, and Catalytic Activities of Metal(II) Complexes and Free Bases of Redox-Switchable 20π, 19π, and 18π 5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids.

In spite of significant advances in redox-active porphyrin-based materials and catalysts, little attention has been paid to 20π and 19π porphyrins because of their instability in air. Here we report the meso-modification of 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrin with two nitrogen atoms, which led to redox-switchable 20π, 19π, and 18π 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids (TADAPs). Three kinds of metal(II) complexes and free bases of TADAP were prepared by the metal-templated annulation of the corresponding metal-bis(dipyrrin) complexes. The inductive and resonance effects of the meso-nitrogen atoms on the aromatic, optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of the entire TADAP π-systems were assessed by using various spectroscopic measurements and density functional theory calculations. The aromaticity and π-π* electronic transition energies of the TADAPs varied considerably, and were shown to be dependent on the oxidation states of the π-systems. In contrast to the isoelectronic 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrin derivatives, the 20π and 19π TADAPs were chemically stable under air. In particular, the 19π TADAP radical cations were extremely stable towards dioxygen, moisture, and silica gel. This reflected the low-lying singly occupied molecular orbitals of their π-systems and the efficient delocalization of their unshared electron spin. The capability of MgTADAP to catalyze aerobic biaryl formation from aryl Grignard reagents was demonstrated, which presumably involved a 19π/20π redox cycle.

Redox-Switchable 20π-, 19π-, and 18π-Electron 5,10,15,20-Tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoid Nickel(II) Complexes.

The first examples of air-stable 20π-electron 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diaza-5,15-dihydroporphyrins, their 18π-electron dications, and the 19π-electron radical cation were prepared through metal-templated annulation of nickel(II) bis(5-arylamino-3-chloro-8-mesityldipyrrin) complexes followed by oxidation. The neutral 20π-electron derivatives are antiaromatic and the cationic 18π-electron derivatives are aromatic in terms of the magnetic criterion of aromaticity. The meso N atoms in these diazaporphyrinoids give rise to characteristic redox and optical properties for the compounds that are not typical of isoelectronic 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrins.

Optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of pyrrole- and thiophene-bridged 5,15-diazaporphyrin dimers.

The first examples of pyrrole- and thiophene-bridged 5,15-diazaporphyrin (DAP) dimers are prepared through Stille coupling reactions of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 3-bromo-10,20-dimesityl-5,15-diazaporphyrin (mesityl=2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) with the respective 2,5-bis(tributylstannyl)heteroles. The effects of the heterole spacers and meso nitrogen atoms on the optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of the DAP dimers are investigated by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations, magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and EPR spectroscopy. The heterole spacers are found to have a significant impact on the electronic transitions over the entire π-system. In particular, the pyrrole-bridged DAP dimers exhibit high light-harvesting potential in the low-energy visible/near-infrared region owing to the intrinsic charge-transfer character of the lowest excitation.

Synthesis and Structure-Property Relationships of Phosphole-Based π Systems and Their Applications in Organic Solar Cells.

Phosphole is a chemically tunable heterole, and its π-conjugated derivatives are potential candidates for optoelectronic materials. This account describes recent developments in the synthesis and structure-property relationships of π-conjugated phosphole derivatives made by my research group. Thiophene-phosphole-styrene, phosphole-acetylene-arene, oligophosphole, polyphosphole, areno[c]phosphole, and phosphole-heterole π systems are synthesized using titanacycle-mediated metathesis and palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. The structural, optical, and electrochemical properties of selected compounds are discussed. Initial results on some applications of thiophene-phosphole copolymers, acenaphtho[c]phospholes, and amine-terthiophene-phosphole donor-π-acceptor dyes in organic solar cells are described. These results give valuable information and guidelines for designing new phosphorus-containing organic materials for molecular electronics.

Comparison of 2-Arylnaphtho[2,3-b]phospholes and 2-Arylbenzo[b]phospholes: Effects of 2-Aryl Groups and Fused Arene Moieties on Their Optical and Photophysical Properties.

Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions were used in the divergent synthesis of a series of 2-arylnaphtho[2,3-b]phosphole P-oxides and their benzo[b]phosphole counterparts. We elucidated the electronic and steric effects of the 2-aryl groups and fused arene moieties on the optical and photophysical properties of these two types of phosphole-based π-systems.

Covalently linked 5,15-diazaporphyrin dimers: promising scaffolds for a highly conjugated azaporphyrin π system.

The first examples of ß-ß directly linked, acetylene-bridged, and butadiyne-bridged 5,15-diazaporphyrin dimers have been prepared by palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 3-bromo-10,20-dimesityl-5,15-diazaporphyrin (mesityl=2,4,6-trimethylphenyl). The effects of the linking modes and meso-nitrogen atoms on the structural, optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of the distributed π systems were investigated by using X-ray crystallography, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, DFT calculations, cyclic voltammetry, and ESR spectroscopy. Both the electronic and steric effects of the meso-nitrogen atoms play an important role in the highly coplanar geometry of the directly linked dimers. The direct ß-ß linkage produces enhanced π conjugation and electron-spin coupling between the two diazaporphyrin units.

Effects of carbon-metal-carbon linkages on the optical, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of phosphametallacycle-linked coplanar porphyrin dimers.

5-(Diphenylphosphanyl)-10,15,20-triarylporphyrins (meso-phosphanylporphyrins) underwent complexations with palladium(II) and platinum(II) salts to afford phosphapalladacycle- and phosphaplatinacycle-fused coplanar porphyrin dimers, respectively, via regioselective peripheral ß-C-H activation of the meso-phosphanylporphyrin ligands. The optical and electrochemical properties of these metal-linked porphyrin dimers as well as their porphyrin monomer/dimer references were investigated by means of steady-state UV-vis absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, time-resolved spectroscopy (fluorescence and transient absorption lifetimes and spectra), and magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. All the observed data clearly show that the palladium(II) and platinum(II) linkers play crucial roles in the electronic communication between two porphyrin chromophores at the one-electron oxidized state and in the singlet-triplet intersystem-crossing process at the excited state. It has also been revealed that the C-Pt-C linkage makes more significant impacts on these fundamental properties than the C-Pd-C linkage. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations on the metal-linked porphyrin dimers have suggested that the antibonding dπ-pπ orbital interaction between the peripherally attached metal and adjacent pyrrolic ß-carbon atoms destabilizes the highest occupied molecular orbitals of the porphyrin π-systems and accounts for the observed unique absorption properties. On the basis of these experimental and theoretical results, it can be concluded that the linear carbon-metal-carbon linkages weakly but definitely perturb the optical, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of the phosphametallacycle-linked coplanar porphyrin dimers.

Pentavalent organobismuth reagents in organic synthesis: alkylation, alcohol oxidation and cationic photopolymerization.

Organic transformations using organobismuth(V) reagents developed by my group are reviewed. The characteristic properties of bismuth, such as the inert pair effect, small bond dissociation energy, and polarized bonding are strongly related to the reactivity of pentavalent organobismuth compounds. The Bi(V) reagents discussed in this chapter include tetraorganylbismuthonium salts ([Ar(3)RBi(+)][X(-)]), triarylbismuth ylides (Ar(3)Bi=CHCOR), triarylbismuth imides (Ar(3)Bi=NCOR), triarylbismuth oxides (Ar(3)Bi=O), and triarylbismuth dichlorides (Ar(3)BiCl(2)). These organobismuth(V) compounds are readily accessible in a few steps from triarylbismuthanes (Ar(3)Bi). New and efficient carbon-carbon bond forming reactions, carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions, alcohol oxidation, and photoinduced cationic polymerization have been investigated using these reagents. In all these reactions, the good leaving ability as well as the high nucleofugality of the triarylbismuthonio group plays a crucial role in bond-forming and bond-breaking steps.

Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of ß-unsubstituted 5,15-diazaporphyrins and pyridazine-fused diazacorrinoids: metal-template syntheses and peripheral functionalizations.

The present paper reports the first comprehensive study on the synthesis, structures, optical and electrochemical properties, and peripheral functionalizations of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of ß-unsubstituted 5,15-diazaporphyrins (M-DAP; M = Ni, Cu) and pyridazine-fused diazacorrinoids (Ni-DACX; X = N, O). These two classes of compounds were constructed starting from mesityldipyrromethane by a metal-template method. Ni-DAP and Cu-DAP were prepared in high yields by the reaction of the respective metal-bis(dibromodipyrrin) complexes with NaN(3)-CuX (X = I, Br), whereas Ni-DACN and Ni-DACO were formed as predominant products by the reaction with NaN(3). In both cases, the metal centers change their geometry from tetrahedral to square planar during the aza-annulation; X-ray crystallographic analyses of M-DAPs showed highly planar diazaporphyrin π planes. The Q band of Ni-DAP was redshifted and intensified compared with that of a nickel-porphyrin reference, due to the involvement of electronegative nitrogen atoms at the meso positions. It was found that the peripheral bromination of Ni-DAP and Ni-DACO occurred regioselectively to afford Ni-DAP-Br(4) and Ni-DACO-Br, respectively. These brominated derivatives underwent Stille reactions with tributyl(phenyl)stannane to give the corresponding phenylated derivatives, Ni-DAP-Ph(4) and Ni-DACO-Ph. On the basis of the absorption spectra and X-ray analysis, it has been concluded that the attached phenyl groups efficiently conjugate with the diazaporphyrin π system. The present results unambiguously corroborate that the ß-unsubstituted DAPs and DACXs are promising platforms for the development of a new class of π-conjugated azaporphyrin-based materials.

Synthesis and structure-property relationships of 2,2'-bis(benzo[b]phosphole) and 2,2'-benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]heterole hybrid π systems.

The first comprehensive study of the synthesis and structure-property relationships of 2,2'-bis(benzo[b]phosphole)s and 2,2'-benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]heterole hybrid π systems is reported. 2-Bromobenzo[b]phosphole P-oxide underwent copper-assisted homocoupling (Ullmann coupling) and palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling (Stille coupling) to give new classes of benzo[b]phosphole derivatives. The benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]thiophene and -indole derivatives were further converted to P,X-bridged terphenylenes (X = S, N) by a palladium-catalyzed oxidative cycloaddition reaction with 4-octyne through the C(ß)-H activation. X-ray analyses of three compounds showed that the benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]heterole derivatives have coplanar π planes as a result of the effective conjugation through inter-ring C-C bonds. The π-π* transition energies and redox potentials of the cis and trans isomers of bis(benzo[b]phosphole) P-oxide are very close to each other, suggesting that their optical and electrochemical properties are little affected by the relative stereochemistry at the two phosphorus atoms. The optical properties of the benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]heterole hybrids are highly dependent on the benzo[b]heterole subunits. Steady-state UV/Vis absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime measurements, and theoretical calculations of the non-fused and acetylene-fused benzo[b]phosphole-benzo[b]heterole π systems revealed that their emissive excited states consist of two different conformers in rapid equilibrium.