Reactivity of iron(II) 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-21-oxaporphyrin with arylmagnesium bromide: formation of paramagnetic six-coordinate complexes with two axial aryl groups.

Coordination of sigma-aryl carbanions by chloroiron(II) 5,20-ditolyl-10,15-diphenyl-21-oxaporphyrin (ODTDPP)Fe(II)Cl has been followed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Addition of pentafluorophenyl Grignard reagent (C(6)F(5))MgBr to the toluene solution of (ODTDPP)Fe(II)Cl in the absence of dioxygen at 205 K resulted in the formation of the high-spin (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(C(6)F(5)). The titration of (ODTDPP)Fe(II)Cl with a solution of (C(6)H(5))MgBr carried at 205 K yields a rare six-coordinate species which binds two sigma-aryl ligands (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(C(6)H(5))(2). Warming of the (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(C(6)H(5))(2) solution above 270 K results in the decomposition to mono-sigma-phenyliron species (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(C(6)H(5)). Controlled oxidation of (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(C(6)H(5))(2) with Br(2) affords (ODTDPP)Fe(III)(C(6)H(5))Br, which demonstrates a typical (1)H NMR pattern of low-spin sigma-aryl iron(III) porphyrin. The considered oxidation mechanism involves the (ODTDPP)Fe(III)(C(6)H(5))(2) species, which is readily reduced to the iron(I) 21-oxaporphyrin, followed by oxidation with Br(2) and replacement of one bromide anion by aryl substituent. The (1)H NMR spectra of paramagnetic iron complexes have been examined in detail. Functional group assignments have been made with the use of selective deuteration. The peculiar (1)H NMR spectral features of (ODTDPP)Fe(II)(p-CH(3)C(6)H(4))(2) (sigma-p-tolyl: ortho, 30.8; meta, 53.6; para-CH(3), 42.1; furan: -16.0; beta-H pyrrole: -27.5, -34.3, -41.8 ppm, at 205 K) are without a parallel to any iron(II) porphyrin or heteroporphyrin and indicate a profound alteration of the electronic structure of iron(II) porphyrin upon the coordination of two sigma-aryls.