2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18‐Octafluoro‐5,10,15,20‐Tetraphenylporphyrin: First Synthesis and X‐Ray Crystal Structure of the Zn^II Complex

Abstract

Abstract 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18‐Octafluoro‐5,10,15,20‐tetraphenylporphyrin has been prepared from 3,4‐difluoropyrrole and benzaldehyde under Lindsey conditions. An X‐ray crystal structure study of its Zn II complex has shown that the macrocycle core is nonplanar, a result in apparent contradiction with a blue‐shifted UV/Vis spectrum. The results reported here demonstrate that a wide range of β‐octafluoro‐ meso ‐arylated porphyrins, a new class of highly electron‐deficient ligands, are potentially accessible from 3,4‐difluoropyrrole, thus opening the door to, inter alia, efficient and robust oxidation catalysts.