Dynamic chemical devices: photoinduced electron transfer and its ion-triggered switching in nanomechanical butterfly-type bis(porphyrin)terpyridines.

A series of butterfly-type molecular constructs has been prepared in good yield by using a double Stille coupling synthetic protocol. They are composed of a terpyridine (terpy) scaffold and two wings composed of appended porphyrins that are capable of switching from an extended W geometry to a compact U geometry upon cation coordination of the terpy unit. The porphyrin moieties exist in the constructs either as free bases or they can be sequentially metallated, thus giving rise to wings of different "colours".

Structural characterization of artificial self-assembling porphyrins that mimic the natural chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls c, d, and e.

We report two crystal structures of a synthetic porphyrin molecule which was programmed for self-assembly. The same groups which ensure that bacteriochlorophylls c, d, and e can self-assemble into the chlorosomal nanorods, the photosynthetic antenna system of some green bacteria, have been engineered into desired positions of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle. In the case of the 5,15-meso-substituted anchoring groups, depending upon the concentration, by using the same crystallization solvents, either a tetragonal or a layered structure of porphyrin stacks were encountered.

2-Aminopyrimidine directed self-assembly of zinc porphyrins containing bulky 3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl groups.

The 2-aminopyrimidin-5-yl ligand is revealed to be a promising candidate for the construction of supramolecular porphyrin arrays with broad absorption bands for efficient light-harvesting. 10-Mono- and 10,20-di(2-aminopyrimidin-5-yl) derivatives of 5,15-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrin have been synthesized in high yield. Their Zn(II) salts show variable concentration and temperature-dependent UV/vis spectra in solution, consistent with supramolecular aggregation.