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Zinc bis-porphyrin molecular tweezers composed of a N(4) spacer bound through pyridyl units to the meso position of porphyrins were synthesized, and the tweezers are closed by the coordination of a copper(II) ion inside the spacer ligand. The effect of the π-π interaction between the porphyrin rings in the closed conformation on the absorption spectra of multi-electron oxidized species and the reduction potentials were clarified by chemical and electrochemical oxidation of the closed form of the zinc bis-porphyrin molecular tweezers in comparison with the open form without copper(II) ion and the corresponding porphyrin monomer. The shifts in redox potentials and absorption spectrum of the porphyrin dication indicate a strong electronic interaction between the two oxidized porphyrins in the closed form, whereas there is little interaction between them in the neutral form. The dynamics of copper(II) ion coordination and subsequent electron transfer was examined by using a stopped-flow UV/Vis spectroscopic technique. It was confirmed that coordination of copper(II) occurs prior to electron-transfer oxidation of the closed form of the zinc bis-porphyrin molecular tweezers., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A trefoil-like porphyrin trimer linked by triphenylamine (TPA-TPZn(3)) was synthesized. A three-electron oxidation of TPA-TPZn(3) forms a radical trication (TPA-TPZn(3)(3+)), in which each porphyrin ring undergoes a one-electron oxidation. The radical trication TPA-TPZn(3)(3+) spontaneously dimerizes to afford (TPA-TPZn(3))(2)(6+) in CH(2)Cl(2) . The characteristic charge-resonance band due to the charge delocalization over the π system of (TPA-TPZn(3))(2)(6+) was observed in the NIR region. The initial oxidation potential of TPA-TPZn(3) is negatively shifted relative to that of the corresponding monomer porphyrin, which results from the stabilization of the oxidized state of TPA-TPZn(3) associated with the dimerization. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG) for the formation of (TPA-TPZn(3))(2)(6+) were determined by measuring Vis/NIR spectra at various temperatures. The formation constant of (TPA-TPZn(3))(2)(6+) is significantly larger than that of the radical cation dimer of the corresponding monomer porphyrin (e.g., over 2000-fold at 233 K). The electronic states were investigated using EPR spectroscopic analysis. The greatly enhanced dimerization of TPA-TPZn(3)(3+) results from multiple π-bond formation between the porphyrin radical cations., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

pi-pi assisted: Photoinduced electron transfer from cofacial porphyrin dimers to electron acceptors is prominently accelerated, whereas the back electron transfer is decelerated, relative to the corresponding porphyrin monomer (see figure).The radical cation of zinc tetrapentylporphyrin is dimerized with an excess of the neutral counterpart to form the dimer radical cation in which the unpaired electron is delocalized over both porphyrin rings. The dimeric radical cation exhibits an NIR absorption spectrum characteristic of weak pi-bond formation between the porphyrin rings. When cofacial porphyrin dimers, linked by different spacers, are oxidized such pi-bond formation between the porphyrin rings is also recognized in cyclic voltammetry, and Vis/NIR and ESR spectroscopic measurements. The dynamics of photoinduced electron transfer from the triplet excited states of cofacial porphyrin dimers to a series of electron acceptors were investigated by using laser flash photolysis measurements and compared with the porphyrin monomer. The rates of photoinduced electron-transfer reactions of cofacial porphyrin dimers are prominently accelerated compared with the reference monomer. The driving-force dependence of the rate constants of photoinduced electron-transfer reactions was analyzed in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer to afford the reorganization energies of electron transfer (lambda). The lambda values of cofacial porphyrin dimers are significantly smaller than those of the porphyrin monomer when compared at the same driving force of the photoinduced electron transfer. The lambda values increase linearly with an increase in the driving force of the photoinduced electron transfer. This is accompanied by an increase in the distance between electron donor and acceptor molecules, where the electron transfer occurs. The enhanced electron-transfer properties of cofacial porphyrin dimers, in relation with the important role of the special pair in the photosynthetic reaction center, result from the smaller reorganization energy (lambda) together with the larger driving force of the photoinduced electron transfer due to the pi-electron delocalization in the dimer radical cations.

The role of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinatocobalt(II) ([Co(tpp)]) as a catalyst on molecular oxygen (O(2)) reduction by ferrocene (Fc) and its two derivatives, 1,1'-dimethylferrocene (DFc) and decamethylferrocene (DMFc) at a polarized water|1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface has been studied. The water|DCE interface essentially acts as a proton pump controlled by the Galvani potential difference across the interface, driving the proton transfer from water to DCE. [Co(tpp)] catalyzed O(2) reduction by Fc, DFc and DMFc is then followed to produce hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). The catalytic mechanism is similar to that proposed by Fukuzumi et al. for bulk reactions. This interfacial system provides a platform for a very efficient collection of H(2)O(2), by extraction immediately after its formation in DCE to the adjacent water phase, thus decreasing the possibility of degradation and further reaction with ferrocene derivatives.

Pacman-type face-to-face zinc-porphyrin-fullerene dyads have been newly synthesized and studied. Owing to the close proximity of the donor and acceptor entities, strong pi-pi intramolecular interactions between the porphyrin and fullerene entities resulted in modulating the spectral and electrochemical properties of the dyads. New absorption and emission bands that correspond to the charge-transfer interactions were observed in the near-IR region. Time-resolved transient absorption studies revealed efficient photoinduced electron transfer from the singlet excited porphyrin to the fullerene entity. The rate constants for photoinduced electron transfer are analyzed in terms of the Marcus theory of electron transfer, which afforded a large electron coupling matrix element (V=140 cm(-1)) for the face-to-face dyads. As a consequence of the large charge-recombination driving force in the Marcus inverted region, a relatively long lifetime of the charge-separated state has been achieved.

Twenty-one hybrid materials incorporating cobalt(III) corrole complexes were synthesized by a sol-gel process or by grafting the metallocorrole onto a mesostructured silica of the SBA-15 type. All the materials show an almost infinite selectivity for carbon monoxide with respect to dinitrogen and dioxygen in the low-pressure domain where the chemisorption phenomenon is predominant. This peculiar property is of prime importance for an application as a CO sensor. The selectivity slightly decreases at high pressures where nonselective physisorption phenomena mainly occur. The percentage of active sites for CO chemisorption ranges from 22 to 64 %. This low percentage may be attributable to interactions between the cobalt(III) corroles with silanol or siloxane groups remaining at the surface of the materials which prevent further coordination of the CO molecule. Notably, the most efficient materials are those prepared in the presence of a protecting ligand (pyridine) during the gelation or the grafting process. The removal of this ligand after the gelation process releases a cavity around the cobalt ion that favors the coordination of a carbon monoxide molecule. The CO adsorption properties of the SBA-15 hybrid were not affected over a period of several months thus indicating a high stability of the material. Conversely, the xerogel capacities slowly decrease owing to the evolution of the material structure.

Slow electron transfer to manganese(iii) porphyrins results when the macrocycle deviates from planarity. This was demonstrated by measuring the kinetics of homogeneous electron transfer from a series of semiquinone radical anions to synthetic manganese porphyrins (shown schematically; R 1 =H, Cl, F; R 2 =H, F). Three of the four porphyrins studied have nonplanar macrocycles. These results could have implications for the role of manganese in biological electron transfer processes., (© 1999 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Fed. Rep. of Germany.)