Pyrrole-inverted isomer of 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-21-selenaporphyrin.

A novel 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-21-selenaporphyrin isomer with an inverted pyrrole ring, i.e., 5,10,15, 20-tetraaryl-2-aza-21-carba-22-selenaporphyrin (SeC-TArPH) has been produced by a [3 + 1] condensation of 2, 5-bis(phenylhydroxymethyl)selenophene and 5,10-ditolyltripyrrin. The reaction yielded 5,20-diphenyl-10,15-bis(p-tolyl)-21-selenaporphyrin Se-DPDTPH (19%) and its isomer with an inverted pyrrole ring, i.e., 5,10-diphenyl-15,20-bis(p-tolyl)-2-aza-21-carba-22-selenaporphyrin, SeC-DPDTPH (1%). Mechanistically the synthesis of SeC-DPDTPH requires one beta-condensation at the pyrrole moiety of 5, 10-ditolyltripyrrin instead of the stereotypical alpha-condensation. The identity of inverted selenaporphyrin has been confirmed by high-resolution mass spectrometry and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. A saddle distortion mode for the inverted selenaporphyrin macrocycle SeC-DPDTPH has been determined by X-ray crystallography. NMR spectra are consistent with the existence of tautomeric equilibria that involve three tautomeric species of the neutral form of SeC-DPDTPH. The preference for the tautomer with the labile proton located at the peripheral N(2) nitrogen atom has been detected in pyridine-d(5) solution. The density functional theory (DFT) has been applied to determine the molecular and electronic structure of three tautomers of 2-aza-21-carba-22-selenaporphyrin: 2-N, 23-N, 24-NH, 2-N, 23-NH, 24-N, and 2-NH, 23-N, 24-N formally created from SeC-DPDTPH by a replacement of phenyl and tolyl groups with hydrogen. The total energies calculated using the B3LYP/6-311G//B3LYP/6-311G approach, demonstrate that relative stability of postulated tautomers decreases in the order 2-N, 23-NH, 24-N > 2-N, 23-N, 24-NH > 2-NH, 23-N, 24-N. The small energy differences between tautomeric species suggests their simultaneous presence in equilibrium.