Iron complex of a quadruply fused porphyrin: Synthesis, structure and redox properties

Abstract

An iron(II) complex of a quadruply ring-fused porphyrin (QFP), Fe-1, in which four mesityl groups were introduced at the periphery to improve the solubility in organic solvents, has been newly synthesized and characterized. In the pyridine solution, two pyridine molecules bind to the low-spin Fe[Formula: see text] center of Fe-1 as axial ligands to make the complex stable even under air. Characterization of Fe-1 was performed using 1H NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF-MS spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The 1H NMR signals of Fe-1 were observed in the diamagnetic region, reflecting the low-spin state of the FeII center. In the differential pulse voltammogram of Fe-1, three oxidation waves and four reduction waves were observed in pyridine; the first oxidation wave at -0.08 V vs. Fc/Fc[Formula: see text] can be ascribed to the oxidation process of the FeII center, FeII/FeIII, and other six waves can be assigned to the redox processes of the QFP ligand. Furthermore, the ESR measurement of 1e[Formula: see text]-reduced Fe-1 upon controlled-potential bulk electrolysis in pyridine exhibited a signal at [Formula: see text] = 2.003 with a well-resolved 45-line hyperfine splitting at room temperature, due to the coupling with four nitrogen nuclei and twelve hydrogen ones of the QFP ligand. This indicates that the ligand radical anion of Fe-1 is stabilized by delocalization of the spin density owing to the peripheral ring fusion and resultant expansion of the [Formula: see text]-conjugation.