Porphyrin activation towards substitution

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. 

This class of PC catalysts has also been extensively studied as a potential substitute for Pt as they are low cost, methanol tolerant and have reasonably good activity and remarkable selectivity toward ORR [194]. They normally catalyze a direct 4e reduction of O2 to )deld water. The major drawback of this kind of catalyst is of low stability in acidic media [195]. However, when the catalyst is heat treated, the activity and stability of transition metal macrocycle complex (TMMC) are improved significantly [194]. The molecules of TMMC have a square planar structure with the metal ion symmetrically surrounded by four nitrogen atoms these nitrogen atoms are from each member of the ring systems which, in turn, are connected by carbon atoms (porphyrins) or nitrogen atoms (phthalocyanines). 

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