Synthesis and molecular structure of gold triarylcorroles

A number of third-row transition-metal corroles have remained elusive as synthetic targets until now, notably osmium, platinum, and gold corroles. Against this backdrop, we present a simple and general synthesis of β-unsubstituted gold(III) triarylcorroles and the first X-ray crystal structure of such a complex. Comparison with analogous copper and silver corrole structures, supplemented by extensive scalar-relativistic, dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations, suggests that "inherent saddling" may occur for of all coinage metal corroles. The degree of saddling, however, varies considerably among the three metals, decreasing conspicuously along the series Cu > Ag > Au. The structural differences reflect significant differences in metal-corrole bonding, which are also reflected in the electrochemistry and electronic absorption spectra of the complexes. From Cu to Au, the electronic structure changes from noninnocent metal(II)-corrole(•2-) to relatively innocent metal(III)-corrole(3-).