Functionalisation of Phthalocyanines and Subphthalocyanines by Transition-Metal-Catalysed Reactions

tert-Butyl substituted hexaazasubphthalocyanine: Synthesis, isolation of C1 and C3 regioisomers and their spectral-luminescence study

By cyclotrimerization of tert-butyl substituted pyrazine-2,3-dicarbonitrile in the presence of boron trichloride, two positional isomers ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] symmetry) of the corresponding boron(III) tripyrazinosubporphyrazines were first obtained and efficiently separated by column chromatography. The new compounds were characterized by MALDI mass-spectrometry, UV-visible and 1H NMR spectroscopy. A Q-band in the electronic absorption spectra for both fractions was observed at [Formula: see text]530 nm, which is typical for tripyrazinosubporphyrazines. The fluorescence quantum yield for the regioisomer with lower symmetry ([Formula: see text] is 1.5 times higher than for the more symmerical [Formula: see text] species ([Formula: see text] = 0.37 and 0.28, respectively). Comparative spectrophotometric study of the basic properies reveals that hexaaza substitution in benzene rings of tert-butyl substituted subphthalocyanine decreases the basic properties of meso-nitrogen atoms.

One-Pot Synthesis of π-Extended Fluorenone-Fused Subphthalocyanines

A family of inherently chiral nonplanar aromatic chromophores, comprising Subphthalocyanines bearing fluorenone-fused units (SubFcs), have been prepared by an innovative one-pot synthesis, which relies on the standard cross-cyclotrimerization of phthalonitriles followed by intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation. Their Q-band absorption experiences a ca. 20 nm red shift per fused fluorenone as a consequence of the enlarged conjugated π-system.

Acetylenic scaffolding with subphthalocyanines – synthetic scope and elucidation of electronic interactions in dimeric structures

Acetylenic building blocks of the subphthalocyanine chromophore have been developed and employed for acetylenic scaffolding at axial and peripheral positions.

Preparation, optical and electrochemical properties, and molecular orbital calculations of tetraazaporphyrinato ruthenium (II) bis(4-methylpyridine) fused with one to four diphenylthiophene units

2,5-Diphenyl-3,4-dicyanothiophene (1) and phthalonitrile (2) were mixed and treated with ruthenium (III) trichloride, 4-methylpyridine, and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in 2-ethoxyethanol at 135°C, to produce low-symmetrical tetraazaporphyrins (TAPs) (3), (4), (5), and (6) with one to three thiophene rings. Two thiophene-annelated tetraazaporphyrins were isolated as opposite and adjacent isomers 4 and 5. The structure of 3 was determined by X-ray crystallography, showing that the thiophene ring linked at the 3,4-positions on the tetraazaporphyrin scaffold deviates from the mean plane of the four central pyrrole nitrogen atoms (N1-N3-N5-N7). Optical and electrochemical properties of the products were examined by UV-vis and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy, together with cyclic voltammetry. In the (1)H NMR spectra, the signals of 4-methylpyridine coordinating to the central ruthenium atom appeared at a higher magnetic field than those of uncoordinated 4-methylpyridine itself due to the shielding effect of the TAP ring. Increasing the number of fused thiophene rings resulted in 1) lower magnetic field shifts of the signals of axially coordinated 4-methylpyridine in the (1)H NMR spectra, 2) lower energy shifts of the Q band absorption in the UV-vis spectra, and 3) decreasing (cathodic shift) of the first oxidation potentials. The structures of simplified model compounds were optimized using the DFT method with the Gaussian 09 program at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level for the Ru atom and the B3LYP/6-31G (d, p) level for the C, H, N, and S atoms. The optimized structures were utilized to calculate the NMR shielding constants, the HOMO and LUMO orbital energies, and the electronic absorption spectra.

Preparation of phthalocyanines fused with four tetrathiafulvalene units via the functional group transformation of tetrakis(o-xylylenedithio)phthalocyanines with toluene/aluminum chloride

Tetrakis(o-xylylenedithio)phthalocyanine 5 and its nickel complex 5-Ni were treated with aluminum chloride in toluene to eliminate the peripheral o-xylylene groups. The thiolate anions generated from 5 and 5-Ni were reacted with carbonyldiimidazole to produce phthalocyanines 6 and 6-Ni with four 1,3-dithiole-2-one rings, respectively. Phthalocyanine 7a having four ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene units was prepared via the condensation of 6-Ni with ethylenedithio-1,3-dithiole-2-thiones. The reaction of 6-Ni with bis(methylthio)-1,3-dithiole-2-thiones gave phthalocyanine 7b with the corresponding TTF units. The structures of the products were determined by 1 H NMR and MALDI-TOF-MS. Their electrochemical and optical properties were examined by cyclic voltammetry and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Tuning the stability of graphene layers by phthalocyanine-based oPPV oligomers towards photo- and redoxactive materials

In contrast to pristine zinc phthalocyanine (1), zinc phthalocyanine based oPPV-oligomers (2-4) of different chain lengths interact tightly and reversibly with graphite, affording stable and finely dispersed suspensions of mono- to few-layer graphene-nanographene (NG)-that are photoactive. The p-type character of the oPPV backbones and the increasing length of the oPPV backbones facilitate the overall π-π interactions with the graphene layers. In NG/2, NG/3, and NG/4 hybrids, strong electronic coupling between the individual components gives rise to charge transfer from the photoexcited zinc phthalocyanines to NG to form hundreds of picoseconds lived charge transfer states. The resulting features, namely photo- and redoxactivity, serve as incentives to construct and to test novel solar cells. Solar cells made out of NG/4 feature stable and repeatable photocurrent generation during several 'on-off' cycles of illumination with monochromatic IPCE values of around 1%.

Effects of peripheral and axial substitutions on electronic transitions of tin naphthalocyanines

Tin naphthalocyanine molecules display strong absorption in the infrared region (IR), making them ideal as components of organic photodiodes and solar cells. We use density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) at the B3LYP level to study the influence of axial and peripheral ligands on the absorption wavelength of tin naphthalocyanines. We find that TD-DFT is successful at reproducing the experimental absorption spectra of free base naphthalocyanine and tin naphthalocyanine molecules and can be used as a reliable tool to predict absorption spectra of substituted naphthalocyanines. Functional groups attached axially to tin (-F, -Cl, -Br, -I) and peripherally to the inner ring (-F, -Cl, -Br, -Ph, -OH, -COCH(3), -O(CH(2))(3)CH(3)) of the tin naphthalocyanine molecule tune the excitation wavelength in the near-infrared region between 770 and 940 nm. While substituents to the outer naphthalocyanine ring (-Cl, -Br) affect the intensity of the absorption peaks in the NIR region, they do not influence their absorption wavelength. Asymmetric substitution of naphthalocyanine pendant arms can be employed to decrease intensity of the absorption peaks in the visible region with respect to the intensity of the peaks in the NIR.

Peripheral hexabromination, hexaphenylation, and hexaethynylation of meso-aryl-substituted subporphyrins

Effective peripheral fabrication methods of meso-aryl-substituted subporphyrins were explored for the first time. Hexabrominated subporphyrins 2 were prepared quantitatively from the bromination of subporphyrins 1 with bromine. Hexaphenylated subporphyrins 3 and hexaethynylated subporphyrins 4 and 5 were synthesized by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling and Stille coupling, respectively, in good yields. X-ray crystal structures of 2 b, 3 b, 4 b, and 5 a revealed preservation of the bowl-shaped bent structures with bowl depths similar to that of 1. Hexaethynylated subporphyrins exhibit large two-photon-absorption cross-sections due to effective delocalization of the conjugated network to the ethynyl substituents.