Synthesis of Porphyrin-Imidazolium-Ferrocene Complexes as Precursors to Porphyrin Arrays
Alison Hyslop, Department of Chemistry, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Samantha Blondel, Jennifer Chabra, Weici Fang, Maung–Tin Htoo Kway, and Elissa Ramcharitar, St. John's University Student
Abstract: Porphyrin arrays are ubiquitous in nature and play a key role in light harvesting processes in photosynthesis through absorbing light energy and transferring the energy to a reaction center. Porphyrins and metalloporphyrins compounds are used in energy conversion and in molecular-scale electronic devises. The synthesis of asymmetric porphyrin derivatives is of great interest for the development of new molecular structures. Our research interests lie in the formation of porphyrin arrays through novel binding modes to metal centers. We are interested in the synthesis of porphyrin arrays utilizing imidazole and pyridyl rings to link porphyrins to metal centers. The first project is the synthesis of porphyrin–imidazole compounds, and the imidazole ring affords two binding sites, the unsubstituted nitrogen can act as a Lewis base to coordinate to a metal or by substituting both nitrogens, the N-heterocyclic carbene can be formed and this carbene used to bind to metals. The second project, in collaboration with Dr. Elise Megehee, is the formation of a series of porphyrin–pyridyl–osmium compounds with a variety of substituents on the osmium metal center which will modulate the electronics of the system and will affect the energy transfer and electron transfer properties of the system.