Macrocyclic pigments

E. McDonald, Biosynthesis of the pigments of life Formation of the macrocycle. Nature 285 17, 1980. This paper discusses the steps in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and the pathways diverting this nucleus to chlorophylls, hemes, cytochromes, and other macrocyclic pigments. 

An increasing number of porphinoid macrocyclic pigments have been found to be related to important biochemical processes. As a result, much of the pertinent chemistry has been thoroughly studied. 

In 2001, Tills et al. used thiazolium chloride 620 as a carbene precursor in a diastereoselective intermolecular Stetter reaction 518) between the chiral donor 621 and aldehyde 622. The 1,4-diketone 623 thus obtained was then used successfully to access roseophilin (624) (Scheme 128) 517). The promising cytotoxicity of roseophilin (624), a macrocyclic pigment isolated from Streptomyces griseoviridis 524), has attracted considerable attention resulting in a number of partial and total syntheses of this alkaloid (525), and this example demonstrates nicely how (even achiral) organocatalysts can play an important role in obtaining a complex namral product. 

During the synthesis of H2[pz((V-Me2)8], (101) the seco-pz (158), a purple pigment, was isolated as a minor side product (40). The seco-pz was formed as a result of the desymmetrization of macrocycle 101 generated by the oxidation of one of the pyrrole rings during the work up, accompanied by the loss of the Mg(II) cation (Scheme 28). 

Chlorophylls are macrocyclic tetrapyrrole derivatives containing in their natural form a chelated magnesium ion. The basic structure of chlorophyll pigments is shown in Fig. 2.122. 

As is known, the triplet and singlet tetrapyrrolic pigment states are caused by excitation of delocalized ir electrons of the heteroaromatic macrocycle (1 ). The most favourable structure of dimeric complexes for metal 1oporphyrin TTA seems to be a sandwich dimer as in the case when molecular orientation of plane to plane electronic shells reaches the maximum overlap. Quantum chemistry calculations of metalloporphyrin dimers indicates that for the dimeric emission process the 2 state is split into states of higher energy (SJ) and lower energy ( 2). In the case of a sandwich dimer of 04 symmetry, the following states are seen ... 

Colorimetric analyses performed in the reflection mode have been used to determine colors of various flowers" as well as the colors and color development of fruits and berries. In an interesting study, the cyclamen red (or pink) colors of some carnation cultivars have been found to be based on the macrocyclic anthocyanin, pelargoni-din 3,5-diglucoside (6",6" -malyl diester).The CIELAB coordinates revealed that these flowers showed similar colors as some rose cultivars, which, however, were mainly based on a very different pigment, cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside. 

An additional impetus for pyrrole and indole research derives from the recognition of the physiological significance of these ring systems. In the case of pyrroles the early work centered around hemin from hemoglobin and the bile pigments. The structure of chlorophyll was also shown to be pyrrole-derived. The biosynthetic connection between simple pyrroles and the macrocyclic hemin and chlorin have remained of interest up to the present (75ACR201). 

The beautiful colors associated with porphyrin and chlorophyll systems are manifest in their characteristic electronic absorption spectra. The most intense band in the spectra, around 400 nm, is known as the Soret band it is intrinsic to the large macrocyclic conjugated pathway and has molar extinction coefficients usually between 150 000-400 000. This extinction value is lower in chlorins than in porphyrins, and the band is absent in porphyrinogens (6) and ring-opened bile pigments. 

Many examples are known in which multiple components are brought together about a metal ion to form macrocyclic complexes. Typical examples include the formation of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (6.21) from benzaldehyde and pyrrole (Fig. 6-20, [4+4]), or phthalocyanine (6.6) from phthalonitrile (Fig. 6-21). The formation of the tetraphenyl-porphyrin is catalysed by a range of Lewis acids, and the facile preparation from aldehydes and pyrroles has obvious implications for the bioevolution of porphyrin pigments. Virtually any benzene derivative with ortho carbon-bearing substituents can be converted to a phthalocyanine complex on heating with a metal or metal salt in the presence of ammonia or some other nitrogen source. 

History. Braun and Tschemak [23] obtained phthalocyanine for the first time in 1907 as a byproduct of the preparation of o-cyanobenzamide from phthalimide and acetic anhydride. However, this discovery was of no special interest at the time. In 1927, de Diesbach and von der Weid prepared CuPc in 23 % yield by treating o-dibromobenzene with copper cyanide in pyridine [24], Instead of the colorless dinitriles, they obtained deep blue CuPc and observed the exceptional stability of their product to sulfuric acid, alkalis, and heat. The third observation of a phthalocyanine was made at Scottish Dyes, in 1929 [25], During the preparation of phthalimide from phthalic anhydride and ammonia in an enamel vessel, a greenish blue impurity appeared. Dunsworth and Drescher carried out a preliminary examination of the compound, which was analyzed as an iron complex. It was formed in a chipped region of the enamel with iron from the vessel. Further experiments yielded FePc, CuPc, and NiPc. It was soon realized that these products could be used as pigments or textile colorants. Linstead et al. at the University of London discovered the structure of phthalocyanines and developed improved synthetic methods for several metal phthalocyanines from 1929 to 1934 [1-11]. The important CuPc could not be protected by a patent, because it had been described earlier in the literature [23], Based on Linstead s work the structure of phthalocyanines was confirmed by several physicochemical measurements [26-32], Methods such as X-ray diffraction or electron microscopy verified the planarity of this macrocyclic system. Properties such as polymorphism, absorption spectra, magnetic and catalytic characteristics, oxidation and reduc-... 

Figure 1 shows the general structure of calixpyrroles. The basic ring structure resembles that of porphyrin. In the past, four pyrrole rings linked by methylene groups to form colourless macrocycles (that feature in the biosynthetic pathways to pyrrole pigments) were referred to as porphyrinogens [22], The term calix[4]pyrrole was later ascribed to these macrocycles and their synthetic derivatives because of their relation to calix[4]arenes [23],... 

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