Synthesis and Studies of Mono-functionalized Telluradithiasapphyrins and Covalently Linked Porphyrin- Telluradithiasapphyrin Dyads.

Abstract

A series of mono-functionalized aromatic 22π telluradithiasapphyrins containing functional groups such as p-bromophenyl, p-iodophenyl, p-nitrophenyl and p-trimethylsilylethynyl phenyl groups at one of the meso-positions were synthesized by condensing appropriately functionalized unsymmetrical bithiophene diol and 16-telluratripyrrane in CH2 Cl2 under acid-catalyzed conditions. To demonstrate the reactivity of mono-functionalized telluradithiasapphyrins, we synthesized the first examples of covalently linked diphenyl ethyne bridged four novel 18π porphyrin/metalloporphrin-22π telluradithiasapphyrin dyads by coupling meso-ethynyl phenyl porphyrin with telluradithiasapphyrin containing meso-iodophenyl group under Pd(0) coupling conditions followed by metalation of porphyrin unit by treating free base dyad with appropriate metal salts. The dyads were characterized and studied by mass, 1D & 2D NMR, absorption, cyclic voltammetry, fluorescence and DFT techniques. The DFT analysis showed that the porphyrin/metalloporphyrin and sapphyrin units in dyads orient with each other in different angles and Zn(II) porphyrin-sapphyrin dyad (Zn-dyad) showed minimum whereas the free base dyad showed maximum angle of deviation. NMR, absorption, and redox studies indicated that the dyads exhibit the overlapping features of their constituted monomers and maintain their individual characteristic features. The steady-state fluorescence studies revealed that the fluorescence of the porphyrin/metalloporphyrin unit was significantly quenched due to possible energy/electron transfer from the porphyrin/metalloporphyrin unit to non-emissive sapphyrin unit in dyads.