Synthesis of Vinylene-Co,N-Linked Multi(porphyrin)s by the Addition of Free-Base Porphyrins to a C(2)H(2) Complex of Cobalt(III) Porphyrin and Their Oxidative Rearrangement to Vinylene-N,N'-Linked Multi(porphyrin)s.

The nucleophilic addition reaction of a pyrrole nitrogen of free-base porphyrins to a pi-complexed acetylene ligand in a cationic Co(III) porphyrin intermediate afforded good yields of vinylene-Co,N'-linked bis(porphyrin)s, (Por)Co(III)-CH=CH-(N-Por)H(2). N-substituted porphyrin free bases are N-vinylated regioselectively at the pyrrole adjacent to the original N-substituted pyrrole in this reaction. Tris- and tetrakis(porphyrin)s have been prepared by reacting a vinylene-N,N'-linked bis(meso-tetraarylporphyrin) with (OEP)Co(III)(H(2)O)(2)ClO(4) (OEP: octaethylporphyrin dianion) and acetylene. The tetrakis(porphyrin) proved to be a 1:1 mixture of C(i)()- and C(2)-symmetric regioisomers. These organometallic Co(III) complexes underwent facile oxidative migration of the Co-bound vinyl group to a porphyrin pyrrole nitrogen when treated with Fe(III) salts or HClO(4) to provide moderate to good yields of Co(II) vinylene-N,N'-linked multi(porphyrin) complexes. (Vinylene-N,N')bis(porphyrin) free bases with combinations of different porphyrins have been obtained by this procedure. The homobinuclear (2Co(II), 2Cu(II), and 2Zn(II)) and heterobinuclear (Co(II)Cu(II) and Co(II)Zn(II)) complexes have been prepared and characterized spectroscopically. The single-crystal X-ray analysis of (CH=CH-N,N')[(OEP)Co(II)Cl][(TPP)Zn(II)Cl] (TPP: meso-tetraphenylporphyrin dianion) showed a face-to-face structure with an average inter-ring separation of 4.39 Å (triclinic P&onemacr;; Z = 2; a = 14.806(4), b = 18.703(10), c = 13.796(3) Å, alpha = 97.69(3), beta = 99.57(2), gamma = 96.74(3) degrees ).