Porphyrins, synthetic Pyrrole

Finally, the isoporphyrins with a nitrogen atom inverted from the inner core into a /5-pyrrolic position can be prepared by classical porphyrin synthetic routes when the pyrrolelinking CH2X or formyl group is attached to the /J-position of the pyrrole subunit instead of the a-position of the pyrrole as in the synthesis of regular porphyrins. 

The pyrryl carbinols occupy a special place in synthetic pyrrole chemistry it was discovered early that with acid, they can react with another pyrrole nucleus to form the valuable dipyrrylmethane stmcture, which is of interest in the synthesis of porphyrins. Acid leads to the formation of the resonance stabilized pyrrylmethylcarbocation (7.2), which acts as an electrophile by the usual mechanism (Scheme 7.9). 

Iron Porphyrins. Porphyrias (15—17) are aromatic cycHc compouads that coasist of four pyrrole units linked at the a-positions by methine carbons. The extended TT-systems of these compounds give rise to intense absorption bands in the uv/vis region of the spectmm. The most intense absorption, which is called the Soret band, falls neat 400 nm and has 10. The TT-system is also responsible for the notable ring current effect observed in H-nmr spectra, the preference for planar conformations, the prevalence of electrophilic substitution reactions, and the redox chemistry of these compounds. Porphyrins obtained from natural sources have a variety of peripheral substituents and substitution patterns. Two important types of synthetic porphyrins are the meso-tetraaryl porphyrins, such as 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphine [917-23-7] (H2(TPP)) (7) and P-octaalkylporphyrins, such as 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphine [2683-82-1] (H2(OEP)) (8). Both types can be prepared by condensation of pyrroles and aldehydes (qv). 

Condensed Pyrroles. Pyrroles can be condensed to compounds containing two, three, or four pyrrole nuclei. These are important ia synthetic routes to the tetrapyrroHc porphyrins, corroles, and bile pigments and to the tripyrroHc prodigiosias. The pyrrole nuclei are joiaed by either a one-carbon fragment or direct pyrrole—pyrrole bond. 

In numerous synthetic studies4 1 b chlorins have been obtained from completely unsaturated porphyrins by reactions that occur on the periphery of the porphyrin chromophore. The main problem in these methods is the lack of regioselecttvity because each of the four pyrrole subunits... 

The concept of expansion of the porphyrin macrocycle by formally inserting additional carbon atoms between the pyrrole rings was first considered and synthetically realized by LeGoff/ He also suggested a nomenclature for these macrocyclic systems using the word platyrin which... 

As in the [22]porphyrin(3.1.3.1) series, the cyclohexene moieties being part of the bridges originate from the preparation of the dimers from dimethylpyrrole and a hydronaphthalene diketone by acid-catalyzed condensation. The synthetic approach developed by Franck2b has the advantage over the foregoing method that more stable conventional pyrroles and dipyrryl-methanes can be used to form the macrotetracycle in a stepwise manner. 

Pentaphyrin(l.l.l.l.l) is the direct homologous congener of the porphyrin system. Formally, but also synthetically, it can be derived when the porphyrin-forming building blocks are extended by a pyrrole unit and a methine bridge or its precursor. 

Porphyrazines (pz), or tetraazaporphyrins, are compounds that can be viewed as porphyrin variants in which the meso carbon atoms are replaced with nitrogen atoms, as Fig. 1 shows (1). This difference intrinsically gives porphyrazines discrete physiochemical properties from the porphyrins. In addition, despite their similar molecular architecture, porphyrazines are prepared by an entirely different synthetic route than porphyrins—by template cyclization of maleonitrile derivatives, as in Fig. 2, where the open circle with the A in it represents the peripheral substituent of the pz—rather than by the condensation of pyrrole and aldehyde derivatives (1). The pz synthetic route allows for the preparation of macrocycles with chemical and physical properties not readily accessible to porphyrins. In particular, procedures have been developed for the synthesis of porphyrazines with S, N, or O heteroatom peripheral functionalization of the macrocycle core (2-11). It is difficult to impossible to attach the equivalent heteroatoms to the periphery of porphyrins (12). In addition, the preparation and purification of porphyrazines that bear two different kinds of substituents is readily achievable through the directed cocyclization of two different dinitriles, Fig. 3 (4, 5, 13). 

In order to prepare asymmetric meso-porphyrinylsugar derivatives (mono-, di- and tri-glycosylarylporphyrins), pyrrole was condensed with a mixture of glycosylated and nonglycosylated aldehydes.17,21,24,44 46 Several porphyrinylsugar derivatives were prepared by this synthetic methodology. The saccharide unit can be directly linked to the porphyrin macrocycle 35-50 or separated from the phenyl group by a spacer, such as in the case of derivative 51-53 shown below (Fig. 4). 

The synthetic paths of fluorinated porphyrins (fluorine atoms or fluoroalkyl chains) are numerous and depend on the fluorination site (periphery or meso position). These syntheses are performed through the use of fluoroalkylated pyrroles, through DAST fluorination, or through direct perfluoroalkylation. Some examples are given next. 

The bile pigments are metabolic products having chains of four pyrrole rings. Their precursors are the porphyrins, which comprise the blood pigments, the chlorophylls and vitamin B12 and consist of four pyrrole units joined in a macro ring. The phthalocyanines are important synthetic pigments (see Scheme 1). 

In terms of synthetic strategy, approaches to porphyrins from open-chain tetrapyrroles are the only truly general routes. The principle is to construct, in a stepwise manner, an open-chain tetrapyrrole bearing a pre-determined arrangement of peripheral substituents. Cyclization to produce a porphyrin, or an immediate precursor, under mild conditions which do not cause redistribution of the pyrrole rings, should be accomplished after full characterization of the open-chain intermediate. 

The underlying reason for the investigation of dehydrocorrins by the synthetic techniques of pyrrole and porphyrin chemistry was that subsequent hydrogenation might lead to the corrin nucleus of vitamin B12. This objective was achieved by Johnson s group with the selective hydrogenation of the P-double bonds of the complex (99) (equation 52).262... 

In Section 2.2.1-2.2.3, a brief discussion on the chemistry, properties and structure of contracted, isomeric, and inverted porphyrins has been presented. Here, a brief sketch of the structural diversity in expanded porphyrins is given. Expanded porphyrins represent those synthetic macrocycles in which pyrrole or heterocyclic rings possess connectivity through mcso-carbon bridges. The conjugation of the porphyrin has been... 

Recent reviews (1997MI1,1997CR2267, 03ACI5134, 02PISC311) report on the chemistry and applications of expanded porphyrins. We highlight the most recent synthetic routes and chemical characteristics of only pyr-rolic systems, presented in the order of increasing structural complexity. Expanded systems having heterocyclic species other than pyrrole have been avoided. 

We have compiled synthetic chemistry and properties of porphyrin analogues containing only furan, imidazole, or thiophene subunits in place of pyrrole subunit(s). Expanded porphyrinoids have been excluded. This write-up is not intended to give a comprehensive treatment, but is aimed to complement earlier reviews (06CCR468, 08CSR215). In the following two sections, the chemistry of core-modified porphycenes and porphyrins is presented. 

While interesting neutral alternatives to the unsaturated expanded porphyrin derivatives, calix[n] pyrroles (n = 4, 5, 6, 8) are relatively limited in their scope for anion binding because of the constraints of the cavity size. Nevertheless pyrroles linked by an sp3 hybridised carbon atom are of considerable interest because of their resemblance to the anti-cancer agents the prodigiosins (Section 4.2.4), moreover pyrrole anion-receptor chemistry is synthetically versatile and hence a range of acyclic pyrroles and hybrid amidopyrroles such as 4.50-4.52 have been developed, particularly by the groups of... 

Porphyrin (1), the quintessential pyrrolic macrocycle, is one of the favorite structural motifs of organic chemistry [1], Its biological relevance, combined with a range of useful properties such as the rich electronic absorption spectra and the ability to coordinate metal ions, makes 1 a versatile building block for the synthetic chemist, as well as an important subject for physical investigations. Among the most conspicuous features of the porphyrin macrocycle is its aromatic character, which has a strong influence on the spectroscopic properties and chemical reactivity of 1 and its derivatives. 

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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