Three-dimensionally arranged windmill and grid porphyrin arrays by AgI-promoted meso-meso block oligomerization

The syntheses of soluble windmill and grid porphyrin arrays through the AgI-promoted coupling reaction of 1,4-phenylene-bridged linear porphyrin arrays, which are comprised of a central ZnII beta-free porphyrin and flanking peripheral NiII beta-octaalkylporphyrins, are described. The coupling reaction is advantageous in light of its high regioselectivity occurring only at the meso-position of the ZnII beta-free porphyrin as well as its easy extension to large porphyrin arrays. The windmill porphyrin arrays in turn serve as an effective substrate for further coupling reactions, to give three-dimensionally arranged grid porphyrin arrays. Further the grid porphyrin 12-mer (a tetramer of the linear porphyrin trimer) was also coupled to afford grid porphyrins (24-mer, 36-mer, and 48-mer). These porphyrin arrays were isolated in a discrete form by repetitive GPC/HPLC (GPC= gel-permiation chromatography). Competitive experiments with three linear porphyrin trimers bearing different peripheral metalloporphyrins (ZnII, NiII, and Cull), and the trapping experiment of the radical cation at the peripheral porphyrin with AgNO2, suggested that an initial one-electron oxidation of the easily oxidizable peripheral ZnII beta-octaalkylporphyrin with an AgI ion and a subsequent endothermic hole transfer assist the generation of the radical cation at the central ZnII beta-free porphyrin. In all ZnII-metallated windmill porphyrin arrays, the energy level of the S1 state of the meso-meso-linked diporphyrin core is lower than that of the peripheral porphyrins, thereby allowing an energy flow from the peripheral porphyrins to the central diporphyrin core; this has been confirmed by measurements of fluorescence lifetimes and picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectra. The excitation energy transfer in the arrays encourages their potential use as an light-harvesting antenna.