Titrations in non-aqueous media: potentiometric investigation of symmetrical and unsymmetrical tetra-aryl porphyrins with 4-nitrophenyl and 4-aminophenyl substituents in nitrobenzene solvent.

The basicity of the symmetrical and unsymmetrical tetraphenylporphyrins, namely 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (I) (references), 5-(4-nitrophenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin (II), a mixture of 5,10-bis(4-nitrophenyl)-15,20-diphenylporphyrin and 5,15-bis(4-nitrophenyl)-10,20-diphenylporphyrin (III), 5,10,15-tris(4-nitrophenyl)-20-phenylporphyrin (IV), 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-nitrophenyl)porphyrin (V), 5-(4-aminophenyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin (VI), a mixture of 5,10-bis(4-aminophenyl)-15,20-diphenylporphyrin and 5,15-bis(4-aminophenyl)-10,20-diphenylporphyrin (VII), 5,10,15-tris(4-aminophenyl)-20-phenylporphyrin (VIII) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (IX), was investigated potentiometrically in nitrobenzene solvent. This investigation showed that these compounds are basic rather than acidic. Although they can not be titrated even with tetrabuthylammonium hydroxide, they can easily be titrated with perchloric acid to give well shaped and stoichiometric end-points. In addition they all undergo two proton reactions per porphyrin molecule. However, compounds VI, VII, VIII and IX each shows a second end-point to give three, four, five and six proton reactions, respectively, per porphyrin molecule. Half neutralization potentials (measures of their basicity) of these compounds are: I=368, II=409, III=432, IV=461, V=520, VI=340, VII=302, VIII=238 and IX=225 mV versus Ag/AgCl in methanol. These potentials clearly indicate that, if para-hydrogen with respect to the porphyrin core of tetraphenylporphyrin (I) is replaced with an acidifying nitro group (II, III, IV and V) the basicity of I decreases. This decrease is approximately proportional to the number of nitro groups. Each nitro group decreases the half neutralization potential by about 35 mV. On the other hand, if para-hydrogen indicated above is replaced with a basifying amino group (VI, VII, VIII and IX) the basicity increases. This increase is also approximately proportional to the number of amino groups. Each amino group increases the half neutralization potential by about 36.7 mV. The values 35 and 36.7 mV indicate that in nitrobenzene solvent the electron releasing power of an amino group to the porphyrin system is a little stronger than the electron withdrawing power of a nitro group from the porphyrin system. All these observations reveal that the nitrogen atoms at the core of the porphyrin molecules are strongly influenced by changes at the periphery of the molecules, which is a very good indication that the substituted phenyl groups and the cores of the porphyrins are nearly in the same plane.