Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method
Published on: July 19, 2019
Synthesis, reactions, and electronic properties of 16 pi-electron octaisobutyltetraphenylporphyrin
Yohsuke Yamamoto1, Yusuke Hirata, Megumi Kodama
1Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan. yyama@sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
The reaction of the doubly oxidized beta-octaisobutyl-meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (OiBTPP, 4), which has a 16 pi-electronic structure at the porphyrin core, with a variety of metal reagents was investigated. The reaction of 4 with SnCl(2) followed by ethanolysis afforded an 18 pi-electron tin complex, (OiBTPP)Sn(OEt)(2) (5), in a redox manner. No reactions were observed using zerovalent metals (Zn, Cu, and Pd). However, the reaction of 16pi [(OiBTPP)Li](+)[BF(4)](-) (6), which was easily derived from 4, with Zn, Cu, and Pd(2)(dba)(3) gave the corresponding 18pi metalloporphyrins (OiBTPP)M (7, M = Zn(EtOH); 8, M = Cu; and 9, M = Pd). One-electron oxidation of the copper complex 8 by AgSbF(6) afforded a 17 pi-electron cation radical complex, [(OiBTPP)Cu](*+)[SbF(6)](-) (10). The UV-visible and electron spin resonance spectra of 10 were quite similar to those of previously reported beta-octaethyl-meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (OETPP) derivatives, [(OETPP)Cu](*+)X(-) (X = ClO(4), I). In contrast to the reaction of 6 with Zn to give the 18pi complex 7, the reaction of 4 with divalent ZnCl(2) enabled us to isolate a new 16pi porphyrin-zinc(II) complex, [(OiBTPP)Zn(Cl)](+)[ZnCl(3)](-) (11), in 92% yield. The solid-state structures of 5 and 7-11 were unambiguously determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The porphyrin cores of 10 (17pi) and 11 (16pi) are much more distorted than those of the 18pi derivatives 5 and 7-9. Furthermore, the bond distances of 10 and 11 clearly showed the presence of bond alternation in contrast to aromatic 18pi species 8 and 7, respectively. Nucleus-independent chemical shift calculations of 4 and some metalated porphyrins indicated that the highly distorted 16pi porphyrins are essentially nonaromatic, with only weak antiaromaticity. Magnetic circular dichroism studies in conjunction with ZINDO/S calculations assisted in identifying the electronic transitions of the UV-vis spectra of key porphyrins. Electrochemical and thin-layer UV-vis spectroelectrochemical experiments on 4 (16pi) and 11 (16pi) indicated that both compounds can be electroreduced to give the 18pi species, with the 16pi/18pi transition being reversible in the case of [(OiBTPP)Zn(Cl)](+)[ZnCl(3)](-) (11).
More Related Videos
14:11Synthesis of pH Dependent Pyrazole, Imidazole, and Isoindolone Dipyrrinone Fluorophores using a Claisen-Schmidt Condensation Approach
Published on: June 10, 2021
08:51Scale-up Chemical Synthesis of Thermally-activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters Based on the Dibenzothiophene-S,S-Dioxide Core
Published on: October 24, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
ortho–para-Directing Activators: –CH3, –OH, –⁠NH2, –OCH3
π Molecular Orbitals of 1,3-Butadiene
The simplest conjugated diene is 1,3-butadiene: a four-carbon system where each carbon is sp2-hybridized and has an unhybridized p orbital that contains an unpaired electron. According to molecular orbital theory, atomic orbitals combine to form molecular orbitals such that the number...
Thermal Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Thermal Activation
Conjugated systems containing an even number of π-electron pairs undergo a conrotatory ring closure. For example, thermal electrocyclization of (2E,4E)-2,4-hexadiene, a conjugated diene containing two π-electron pairs, gives trans-3,4-dimethylcyclobutene.
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview
Removing one hydrogen from the intervening CH2 group with both...