Synthesis of supramolecular fullerene–porphyrin–Cu(phen)2–ferrocene architectures. A heteroleptic approach towards tetrads

Abstract

Four supramolecular fullerene-porphyrin-Cu(phen)(2)-ferrocene architectures were accessed by a twofold coordination strategy. At first, the phenanthroline-linked zinc porphyrins , conceived as supramolecular synthons, were combined with a ferrocene module, 3,8-(diferrocenylethynyl)phenanthroline, by a Cu(i)-mediated heteroleptic bisphenanthroline complexation (HETPHEN) protocol to furnish the porphyrin-Cu(phen)(2)-ferrocene aggregates . Subsequently, the fullerene module was incorporated by axial pyridyl coordination to the zinc porphyrin, affording . Their suitability as tetrads was interrogated using electrochemical and photophysical data.