Photoinduced Electron-Transfer in Porphyrin-quinone Cyclophanes, 15. Distance Dependence of Photoinduced Electron-Transfer: Syntheses and Structures of Naphthalene-Spacered Porphyrin-Quinone Cyclophanes

New methodologies for the preparation of porphodimethenes and their conversion to trans-porphyrins with functionalized naphthyl spacers

The MacDonald [2 + 2]-type condensation of readily available 5-aryl-substituted dipyrromethanes with acenaphthenequinone leads to the trans-syn- and anti-porphodimethenes, which in turn can be converted to the alpha,alpha- and alpha,beta-porphyrin atropisomers, respectively. Treatment of the metalated or unmetalated porphodimethenes with KOH or NaOMe in THF followed by protonation with HCl results in a ring opening of the acenaphthenone and formation of the trans-8-carboxynaphthylporphyrins or their esters (NaOMe) after oxidation. Alternatively, the porphyrin formation can be accomplished by reaction of the porphodimethenes with acids in the presence of water or methanol. Reaction with NaBH(4) in a THF--methanol mixture yields the corresponding dialcohols in nearly quantitative yields. Sixteen different building blocks were prepared in order to evaluate the generality of this new synthetic approach, with Ar = 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2); 2,6-Cl(2)C(6)H(3); 2,6-F(2)C(6)H(3); 3,4-tBu(2)C(6)H(3); 3,4,5-(MeO)(3)C(6)H(2); 4-BrC(6)H(4); 4-MeC(6)H(4); and 4-MeOOCC(6)H(4) at the meso positions. The synthesized porphodimethenes and porphyrins have been fully characterized, and the X-ray structure analyses of three representative derivatives are presented.