Synergistic Effect of Tetraaryl Porphyrins Containing Corannulene and Other Polycyclic Aromatic Fragments as Hosts for Fullerenes. Impact of C60 in a Statistically Distributed Mixture of Atropisomers

Abstract

Symmetric meso-tetraarylporphyrins bearing phenanthrene, pyrene, and corannulene moieties in meta positions have been synthesized in a straightforward procedure under microwave irradiation by quadruple Suzuki–Miyaura reactions. Their 1H NMR spectra showed the typical pattern of four atropisomers distributed according to their statistical ratio not properly separable due to their fast isomerization. Their ability to bind buckminsterfullerene has been tested with the whole mixture, and different behaviors have been found, α4 isomer corannulene-substituted porphyrins being the best hosts in the family.