DFT/TDDFT study of lanthanide(III) mono- and bisporphyrin complexes

The electronic structure, molecular structure, and electronic spectra of lanthanide(III) mono- and bisporphyrin complexes are investigated using a DFT/TDDFT method. These complexes include YbP(acac), YbP(2), [YbP(2)](+), YbHP(2), and [YbP(2)](-) (where P = porphine and acac = acetylacetonate). To shed some light on the origin of the out-of-plane displacement of Yb in YbP(acac), unligated model systems, namely, planar D(4h) and distorted C(4nu) YbP, were calculated. For comparison, the calculations were also extended to include the C and [Ce(IV)P(2) ](+) systems. Even without an axial ligand, the lanthanide atom lies considerably above the porphyrin plane; the distortion of the YbP molecular structure from a planar D(4h) to the nonplanar C(4nu) symmetry leads to a considerable energy lowering. The axial ligand makes the metal out-of-plane displacement even larger, and it also changes the redox properties of the lanthanide monoporphyrin. The ground-state configurations of YbP(2) and YbHP(2) were determined by considering several possible low-lying states. YbP(2) is confirmed to be a single-hole radical. The special redox properties of the bisporphyrin complexes can well be accounted for by the calculated ionization potentials and electron affinities. The TDDFT results provide a clear description of the UV-vis and near-IR absorption spectra of the various lanthanide porphyrins.