[22]Pentaphyrins(2.0.1.1.0) Displaying N-Fusion, Pyrrole-Rearrangement, and Dimerization Reactions Upon Oxidation and Metalation.

Exploration of expanded porphyrins with unprecedented reactivities has remained important. Here [22]pentaphyrins(2.0.1.1.0) were synthesized as a constitutional isomer of sapphyrin by acid-catalyzed cyclization of 1,14-dibromo-5,10-diaryltripyrrin with 1,2-di(pyrro-2-ly)ethenes. These pentaphyrins display roughly planar structures and varying aromaticities depending upon the vinylene structures. The 19,20-ditolyl pentaphyrin gave an N-fused product and an unprecedented pyrrole-rearranged product, depending upon the oxidation conditions. Remarkably, upon the metalation with CuCl, the N-fused product and the pyrrole-rearranged product afforded an inner ß-ß coupled face-to-face CuII complex dimer and an outer ß-ß coupled lateral CuII complex dimer, respectively, in fairly good yields. Further, [22]pentaphyrin(2.0.1.1.0) fused with a NiII porphyrin was effectively dimerized upon oxidation with MnO2 to give a 16-16' directly linked dl-dimer.

Facile Synthesis of Asymmetric aza-Boron Dipyrromethene Analogues Bearing Quinoxaline Moiety.

An asymmetric aza-BODIPY analogue bearing quinoxaline moiety was synthesized via a titanium tetrachloride-mediated Schiff-base-forming reaction of 6,7-dimethyl-1,4-dihydroquinoxaline-2,3-dione and benzo[d]thiazol-2-amine. This novel aza-BODIPY analogue forms a complementary hydrogen-bonded dimer due to the quinoxaline moiety in the crystal structure. It also shows intense absorption and fluorescence, with fluorescence quantum yields close to unity. The electrochemical measurements and the DFT calculations revealed the presence of the low-lying HOMO, which benefits their potential applications as an electron-transporting material.

The First Synthesis of Subporphyrins.

Because of the rich coordination chemistry and unique optical and electrochemical properties, porphyrin analogues have been intensively investigated. Among them, subporphyrins have been long-awaited molecules, with only their boron complexes known to date because of the crucial role of the central boron atom as a template in synthesis. The challenges related to the synthesis of a genuine subporphyrin (boron-free) have finally been met and reported in a recent article from Kim, Osuka, and Song. A key strategy of their synthesis lies in the introduction of an exocyclic double bond at the meso-position and subsequent reduction to obtain macrocyclic conjugation. Considering the fact that the development of porphyrin chemistry is ultimately linked to the availability of free base porphyrins, this seminal work will facilitate studies on coordination chemistry and applications in materials science.

Oxidation of 5,15-Dioxaporphyrin: Its Generality and Novelty as an Oxaporphyrin Analogue.

5,15-Dioxaporphyrin (DOP) is a novel meso-oxaporphyrin analogue and exhibits unique 20π-antiaromaticity, unlike its mother congener of 18π-aromatic 5-oxaporphyrin, commonly known as its cationic iron complex called verdohem, which is a key intermediate of heme catabolism. To reveal its reactivities and properties as an oxaporphyrin analogue, the oxidation of tetra-ß-arylated DOP (DOP-Ar4 ) was explored in this study. Stepwise oxidation from the 20π-electron neutral state was achieved, and the corresponding 19π-electron radical cation and 18π-electron dication were characterized. Further oxidation of the 18π-aromatic dication resulted in the formation of a ring-opened dipyrrindione product by hydrolysis. Considering a similar reaction of verdoheme to ring-opened biliverdin in the heme degradation in nature, the current result consolidates the ring-opening reactivity of oxaporphyrinium cation species.

Spontaneous Assembly and Three-Dimensional Stacking of Antiaromatic 5,15-Dioxaporphyrin on HOPG.

Antiaromatic compounds have recently received considerable attention because of their novel properties such as narrow HOMO-LUMO gaps and facile formation of mutual stacking. Here, the spontaneous assembly of antiaromatic meso-2-thienyl-substituted 5,15-dioxaporphyrin (DOP-1) is scrutinized at the liquid-solid interface by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Polymorphism in monolayers characterized by the orthogonal and parallel assemblies is found at the low concentration of 0.05 mM. The parallel assembly is more stable and dominantly formed at higher concentrations. Aggregation was observed at concentrations >0.2 mM, and the STM images of the aggregates implied the formation of stacked layers. The intrinsic electronic structures of the mutually stacked bilayer generated by applying an electric pulse to the monolayer were probed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy to reveal the narrowing of the HOMO-LUMO gap by about 20 % compared with the monolayer, thus suggesting significant molecular orbital interactions.

An Electron-Accepting aza-BODIPY-Based Donor-Acceptor-Donor Architecture for Bright NIR Emission.

A bright near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent molecule was developed based on the donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) approach using an aza-BODIPY analog called pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY (PPAB) as an electron-accepting chromophore. Directly introducing electron-donating triphenylamine (TPA) to develop a D-A-D structure caused redshifts of absorption and emission of PPAB into the NIR region with an enhanced fluorescence brightness of up to 5.2×104  m-1 cm-1 , whereas inserting a phenylene linker between the TPA donor and the PPAB acceptor induced solvatochromic behavior in emission. Transient absorption spectra and theoretical calculations revealed the presence of a highly emissive hybridized locally excited and charge-transfer state in the former case and the contribution of the dark charge-separated state to the excited state in the latter case. The bright D-A-D PPAB as a novel emitter resulted in a NIR electroluminescence with a high external quantum efficiency of 3.7 % and a low amplified spontaneous emission threshold of ca. 80 µJ cm-2 , indicating the high potential for NIR optoelectronic applications.

Janus Pyrrolopyrrole Aza-dipyrrin: Hydrogen-Bonded Assemblies and Slow Magnetic Relaxation of the Cobalt(II) Complex in the Solid State.

A novel pyrrolopyrrole azadipyrrin (Janus-PPAD) with Janus duality was synthesized by a Schiff base-forming reaction of diketopyrrolopyrrole. The orthogonal interactions of the hydrogen-bonding ketopyrrole and metal-coordinating azadipyrrin moieties in Janus-PPAD enabled the metal ions to be arranged at regular intervals: zinc(II) and cobalt(II) coordination provided metal-coordinated Janus-PPAD dimers, which can subsequently form hydrogen-bonded one-dimensional arrays both in solution and in the solid state. The supramolecular assembly of the zinc(II) complex in solution was investigated by 1 H NMR spectroscopy based on the isodesmic model, in which a binding constant for the elongation of assemblies is constant. Owing to the tetrahedral coordination, in the solid state, the cobalt(II) complex exhibited a slow magnetic relaxation due to the negative D value of -27.1 cm-1 with an effective relaxation energy barrier Ueff of 38.0 cm-1 . The effect of magnetic dilution on the relaxation behavior is discussed. The relaxation mechanism at low temperature was analyzed by considering spin lattice interactions and quantum tunneling effects. The easy-axis magnetic anisotropy was confirmed, and the relevant wave functions were obtained by ab initio CASSCF calculations.

Periphery-Fused Chiral A2B-Type Subporphyrin.

Despite significant interest, the chiroptical properties of subporphyrins have rarely been investigated because chiral subporphyrins are elusive. Here, inherently chiral subporphyrins are elaborated by forming a fused pyran ring at the periphery of an A2B-type meso-aryl-substituted subporphyrin. Their circular dichroism (CD) properties are largely affected by the peripheral substituents and the dihedral angles between the meso-aryl substituents and the subporphyrin core: the ß-perbromo subporphyrin with an orthogonal arrangement of the meso-phenyl substituents to the subporphyrin core exhibits weak CD signals corresponding to the Q bands, whereas the unsubstituted species with smaller dihedral angles shows relatively intense CD signals. A detailed structure-property relationship of these chiral subporphyrins was elucidated by time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations. This study reveals that the CD properties of chiral subporphyrins can be controlled by peripheral substitution and meso-aryl substituents.

Copper 1,19-Diaza-21,24-dicarbacorrole: A Corrole Analogue with an N-N Linkage Stabilizes a Ground-State Singlet Organocopper Species.

A copper complex of a heterocorrole analogue with an N-N linkage, 1,19-diaza-21,24-dicarbadibenzocorrole (Cu-5), was successfully synthesized via oxidative metalation-cyclization of a tetrapyrrolic precursor. The N-N linkage in the skeleton of Cu-5, which serves as a mediator of π-electron delocalization, features an 18π aromatic system. The electronic structure of Cu-5 is best described as a ground-state singlet species stabilized by the distinct NNCC coordination core. This finding shows how the ligand's design can be used to modulate the Cu 3 d x 2 - y 2 orbital energy, thereby making such compounds invaluable for copper-based catalytic applications.

TTF-Annulated Silicon Phthalocyanine Oligomers and Their External-Stimuli-Responsive Orientational Ordering.

Orientational control of functional molecules is essential to create complex functionalities as seen in nature; however, such artificial systems have remained challenge. Herein, we have succeeded in controlling rotational isomerism of µ-oxo silicon phthalocyanine (SiPc) oligomers to achieve an external-stimuli-responsive orientational ordering using intermolecular interactions of tetrathiafulvalene (TTF). In this system, three modes of orientations, free rotation, eclipsed conformation, and staggered conformation, were interconverted in response to the oxidation states of TTF, which varied interactions from association due to formation of mixed-valence TTF dimer to dissociation due to electrostatic repulsion between TTF dications. Furthermore, a stable performance of oligomers as a cathode material in a Li-ion battery proved that the one-dimensionally stacked, rotatable structure of SiPc oligomers is useful to control the orientation of functional molecules toward molecular electronics.

Efficient Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Pyrrolopyrrole Aza-BODIPYs in the Near-Infrared Region with Tripropylamine: Involving Formation of S2 and T2 States.

Efficient electrogenerated chemiluminescences (ECLs) of three pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPYs in the near-infrared region by using tripropylamine as a coreactant are reported. Kinetic analysis based on Marcus theory indicates the direct formation of S2 and T2 states through the electron transfer reaction, which affects the ECL efficiencies.

Recent Advances in Subporphyrins and Triphyrin Analogues: Contracted Porphyrins Comprising Three Pyrrole Rings.

Subporphyrinato boron (subporphyrin) was elusive until the syntheses of tribenzosubporphine in 2006 and meso-aryl-substituted subporphyrin in 2007. These novel contracted analogues possess a 14π-electron conjugated system embedded in a bowl-shaped structure. They exhibit absorption and fluorescence in the UV/vis region and nonlinear optical properties due to their octupolar structures. The unique coordination geometry around the central boron atom in the structure of subporphyrin enabled investigation of rare boron species, such as borenium cations, boron hydrides, and boron peroxides. Along with the burgeoning development of the chemistry of subporphyrins, analogous triphyrin systems have also emerged. Their rich coordination chemistry as a result of their free-base structures, which are different from the boron-coordinating structure of subporphyrins, has been intensively investigated. On the basis of the unique structures and reactivities of subporphyrins and their related triphyrin analogues, supramolecular architectures and covalently linked multicomponent systems have also been actively pursued. This Review provides an overview of the development of subporphyrin and triphyrin chemistry in the past decade and future prospects in this field, which may inspire molecular design toward applications based on their unique properties.

Bis(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)-Substituted Subtriazachlorin: A Subphthalocyanine Analogue with Redox Properties.

Bis(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)-substituted subtriazachlorin was formed because of an unusual reaction of a 1,3-dithiole-2-one-fused subphthalocyanine in a triethylphosphite-mediated tetrathiafulvalene synthesis. In this novel molecule, the bis(1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene)ethane moiety and subtriazachlorin structure are fused, resulting in an electron-donating ability and broad absorption in the near-infrared region.

The First Silicon(IV) Corrole Complexes: Synthesis, Structures, Properties, and Formation of a µ-Oxo Dimer.

The first SiIV corrole complexes were synthesized in good yields by treatment of meso-triarylcorroles with tetrachlorosilane in 1,2-dichloroethane at 60 °C. The central silicon atom possesses a square-pyramidal coordination geometry with slightly longer Si-N bond lengths as compared with those of known triazacorrole SiIV complexes. The SiIV corrole complexes exhibit sharp and blue-shifted absorption spectra and larger fluorescence quantum yields as compared with the corresponding free-base corroles. A µ-oxo dimer of a SiIV corrole was synthesized upon treatment with methanesulfonyl chloride in pyridine at 100 °C. This dimer shows a face-to-face structure with a 90° twist in the solid state. Although the dimer exhibits a blue-shifted Soret band, reflecting the face-to-face geometry, it displays a largely red-shifted and broad fluorescence spectrum with a large Stokes shift, suggesting a large structural change in the S1 state. These intriguing optical properties have been comprehensively studied by magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) measurements, and theoretical calculations.

Rational Synthesis of Antiaromatic 5,15-Dioxaporphyrin and Oxidation into ß,ß-Linked Dimers.

5,15-Dioxaporphyrin was synthesized for the first time by a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of a nickel bis(α,α'-dibromodipyrrin) complex with benzaldoxime, followed by an intramolecular annulation of the α-hydroxy-substituted intermediate. This unprecedented molecule is a 20π-electron antiaromatic system, in terms of Hückel's rule of aromaticity, because lone pair electrons of oxygen atoms are incorporated into the 18π-electron conjugated system of the porphyrin. A theoretical analysis based on the gauge-including magnetically induced current method confirmed its antiaromaticity and a dominant inner ring pathway for the ring current. The unique reactivity of 5,15-dioxaporphyrin forming a ß,ß-linked dimer upon oxidation was also revealed.

Polymeric Self-Assemblies with Boron-Containing Near-Infrared Dye Dimers for Photoacoustic Imaging Probes.

Polymers containing pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY (PPAB) and thiophene-bridged BODIPY dimers (TBD) having poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or PEGylated hyaluronic acid (HA) were prepared by facile conjugation approaches. Self-assemblies consisting of TBD-conjugated polymers more efficiently generated photoacoustic (PA) signals than PPAB-PEG conjugate upon irradiation with near-infrared pulsed laser light. Among dye-conjugated polymers examined, TBD-HA-PEG conjugates efficiently generated photoacoustic signals, 1.49-1.83 times stronger than that of commercially available indocyanine green (ICG). We found that the following two factors are essential to enhance PA signals from self-assemblies: (1) the formation of strongly interacting TBD aggregates and (2) enhancement of the elastic modulus of self-assemblies by conjugating TBDs with HA. TBD-conjugated HA derivatives circulated in blood vessels for a longer time (15.6 ± 4.9% injected dose (ID) in blood 24 h after injection) and more specifically accumulated in tumor tissues (17.8 ± 3.5% ID/g in tumor 24 h after injection) than ICG-conjugated HA derivatives, visualizing a tumor site more clearly. The cell uptake experiment of dye-HA conjugates indicates that ICG-conjugated polymers internalized into cells or merged with cell walls to emit strong fluorescence, while TBD-conjugated polymers were not internalized into cells. Because the disassembly of the TBD-conjugated HA derivatives is suppressed, aggregated TBDs emit weak fluorescence but efficiently generate strong PA signals in tumor tissues.

Pyrene-Bridged Boron Subphthalocyanine Dimers: Combination of Planar and Bowl-Shaped π-Conjugated Systems for Creating Uniquely Curved π-Conjugated Systems.

Pyrene-bridged boron subphthalocyanine dimers were synthesized from a mixed-condensation reaction of 2,7-di-tert-butyl-4,5,9,10-tetracyanopyrene and tetrafluorophthalonitrile, and their syn and anti isomers arising from the result of connecting two bowl-shaped boron subphthalocyanine molecules were successfully separated. Expansion of the conjugated system of boron subphthalocyanine through a pyrene bridge caused a redshift of the Q band absorption relative to the parent pyrene-fused monomer, whereas combining the curved π-conjugation of boron subphthalocyanine with the planar π-conjugation of pyrene enabled facile embracement of C60 molecules, owing to the enhanced concave-convex π-π stacking interactions.

Rational molecular design towards Vis/NIR absorption and fluorescence by using pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY and its highly conjugated structures for organic photovoltaics.

Pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY (PPAB) developed in our recent study from diketopyrrolopyrrole by titanium tetrachloride-mediated Schiff-base formation reaction with heteroaromatic amines is a highly potential chromophore due to its intense absorption and fluorescence in the visible region and high fluorescence quantum yield, which is greater than 0.8. To control the absorption and fluorescence of PPAB, particularly in the near-infrared (NIR) region, further molecular design was performed using DFT calculations. This results in the postulation that the HOMO-LUMO gap of PPAB is perturbed by the heteroaromatic moieties and the aryl-substituents. Based on this molecular design, a series of new PPAB molecules was synthesized, in which the largest redshifts of the absorption and fluorescence maxima up to 803 and 850 nm, respectively, were achieved for a PPAB consisting of benzothiazole rings and terthienyl substituents. In contrast to the sharp absorption of PPAB, a PPAB dimer, which was prepared by a cross-coupling reaction of PPAB monomers, exhibited panchromatic absorption across the UV/Vis/NIR regions. With this series of PPAB chromophores in hand, a potential application of PPAB as an optoelectronic material was investigated. After identifying a suitable PPAB molecule for application in organic photovoltaic cells based on evaluation using time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements, a maximized power conversion efficiency of 1.27 % was achieved.

Benzo[c,d]indole-Containing Aza-BODIPY Dyes: Asymmetrization-Induced Solid-State Emission and Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement as New Properties of a Well-Known Chromophore.

A series of symmetric and asymmetric benzo[c,d]indole-containing aza boron dipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) compounds was synthesized by a titanium tetrachloride-mediated Schiff-base formation reaction of commercially available benzo[c,d]indole-2(1H)-one and heteroaromatic amines. These aza-BODIPY analogues show different electronic structures from those of regular aza-BODIPYs, with hypsochromic shifts of the main absorption compared to their BODIPY counterparts. In addition to the intense fluorescence in solution, asymmetric compounds exhibited solid-state fluorescence due to significant contribution of the vibronic bands to both absorption and fluorescence as well as reduced fluorescence quenching in the aggregates. Finally, aggregation-induced emission enhancement, which is rare in BODIPY chromophores, was achieved by introducing a nonconjugated moiety into the core structure.

Ring-fused porphyrins: extension of π-conjugation significantly affects the aromaticity and optical properties of the porphyrin π-systems and the Lewis acidity of the central metal ions.

Here, we report the effects of ring fusion, which causes expansion of the π-conjugation circuits of the porphyrin derivatives to the fused meso-aryl groups, on the aromaticity and the magnetic properties of porphyrin derivatives. These studies revealed the facts that the ring fusion with five-membered rings causes not only the remarkable red shifts of the absorption bands and narrowed HOMO-LUMO gaps, but also the contribution of anti-aromatic resonance forms to the magnetic properties as observed in the (1)H NMR spectra. The optical absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies indicate that the increase in the number of the fused rings causes stabilization of the LUMO level of the porphyrin derivatives and as a result induces the loosening of the LUMO degeneracy that is generally observed for porphyrins. The electronic structure of a quadruply fused porphyrin derivative was experimentally clarified by the ESR studies on the 1e(-)-oxidized and 1e(-)-reduced species in THF. Furthermore, we revealed the substituent effects of the fused meso-aryl groups of quadruply fused porphyrins (QFPs) on the crystal structures, absorption spectra and redox potentials; the sensitiveness of the substituent effects shows that the π-conjugation circuits extended to the fused meso-aryl groups. Additionally, the elongation of the bond lengths between the pyrrolic nitrogen and the central metal ions in QFP-metal complexes causes a remarkable increase of the Lewis acidity of the central metal ions.