Late transition metal porphyrins

A review has appeared on the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched aziridines by the addition of nitrenes to alkenes and of carbenes to imines.45 A study of the metal-catalysed aziridination of imines by ethyl diazoacetate found that mam group complexes, early and late transition metal complexes, and rare-earth metal complexes can catalyse the reaction.46 The proposed mechanism did not involve carbene intermediates, the role of the metal being as a Lewis acid to complex the imine lone pah. Ruthenium porphyrins were found to be efficient catalysts for the cyclopropana-tion of styrenes 47 High diastereoselectivities in favour of the //-product were seen but the use of chiral porphyrins gave only low ees. 

The redox mechanism operates with late transition metals, as exemplified by Mn, Fe, and Ru, which have easily accessible multiple oxidation states. Theoretical studies and trapping experiments suggest that in porphyrins and salen compounds, the mechanism involves the formation of a radical intermediate. 

Organometallic porphyrin complexes containing the late transition elements (from the nickel, copper, or zinc triads) are exceedingly few. In all of the known examples, either the porphyrin has been modified in some way or the metal is coordinated to fewer than four of the pyrrole nitrogens. For nickel, copper, and zinc the 4-2 oxidation state predominates, and the simple M"(Por) complexes are stable and resist oxidation or modification, thus on valence grounds alone it is easy to understand why there are few organometallic examples. The exceptions, which exist for nickel, palladium, and possibly zinc, are outlined below. Little evidence has been reported for stable organometallic porphyrin complexes of the other late transision elements. 

Since Fenton s work in the late nineteenth century, the role of transition metals in oxygen chemistry is known, but the formation of oxygen adducts with coordination metal complexes and their importance for O2 activation have been studied much later [1, 97]. The lively interest in ORR catalysis comes from its utmost importance to the development of fuel cells and this justifies that only a few studies have been done with metal complexes in solution most have been devoted to carbon electrodes modified by immobilization of a catalyst. The research for good catalysts that could be efficient substitutes for the expensive platinum naturally moved toward porphyrins. 

The cadmium(II) complex corresponding to 9 (M = Cd n = 2) was the first texaphyrin made [6], This aromatic expanded porphyrin was found to differ substantially from various porphyrin complexes and it was noted that its spectral and photophysical properties were such that it might prove useful as a PDT agent. However, it was also appreciated that the poor aqueous solubility and inherent toxicity of this particular metal complex would likely preclude its use in vivo [29-31], Nonetheless, the coordination chemistry of texaphyrins such as 9 was soon generalized to allow for the coordination of late first row transition metal (Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Zn (II), Fe(III)) and trivalent lanthanide cations [26], This, in turn, opened up several possibilities for rational drag development. For instance, the Mn(II) texaphyrin complex was found to act as a peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst [32] and is being studied currently for possible use in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This work, which is outside the scope of this review, has recently been summarized by Crow [33],... 

Catalytic mono-oxygen transfer from first row transition metals to nucleophilic substrates has been the subject of intensive studies since the late seventies [1-2]. The classic procedures of porphyrin-catalyzed oxidations have however obvious disadvantages [3-6]. Chlorinated solvents are often used, either in a two phase system or as co-solvents to dissolve the porphyrin. The reaction mixtures are heavily colored. Catalyst recuperation is not obvious, and often the porphyrin doesn t even survive a single catalytic run. Several groups have attempted with varying success to improve the usability of porphyrins by diverse heterogenization techniques [7-10]. 

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