Halo-Wittig- and zirconium-promoted synthesis of conjugated metalloporphyrin dimers

The synthesis and spectroscopic studies of metalloporphyrin dimers having 1,3-butadiyne linker attached to the beta pyrrolic positions of the linked porphyrins are reported. Bromoethenyl metalloporphyrins were synthesized by zirconocene-promoted bromomethylenation of beta formyl metalloporphyrins. Bromoethenyl metalloporphyrins were dehydrohalogenated by potassium tert-butoxide to give beta ethynyl or 2-ethynyl metalloporphyrins. It is the first documented example of zirconocene-promoted bromomethylenation of beta formyl metalloporphyrins. Bromoethenyl metalloporphyrins were also synthesized by halo-Wittig route. 2-ethynyl metalloporphyrins were self dimerized to give metalloporphyrin dimers having 1,3-butadiyne linking bridge. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible, elemental analysis, 1H NMR and mass spectrometry were used to characterize the compounds.