Enhancing the photoluminescence of surface anchored metal-organic frameworks: mixed linkers and efficient acceptors.

We present two approaches to enhance the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (SURMOFs). In the first approach we fabricate SURMOFs from a mix of an emissive linker with an optically-inert linker of equivalent length, diluting the emissive linker while maintaining the SURMOF structure. This approach enhances the internal PLQY. However, the increase in internal PLQY is achieved at the expense of a drastic reduction in optical absorption, thus the external PLQY remains low. To overcome this limitation, a second approach is explored wherein energy-accepting guest chromophores are infiltrated into the framework of the active linker. At the correct acceptor concentration, an internal PLQY of 52% - three times higher than the previous approach - is achieved. Additionally, the absorption remains strong leading to an external PLQY of 8%, an order of magnitude better than the previous approach. Using this strategy, we demonstrate that SURMOFs can achieve PLQYs similar to their precursor chromophores in solution. This is of relevance to SURMOFs as emitter layers in general, and we examine the optimized emitter layer as part of a photon upconversion (UC) SURMOF heterostructure. Surprisingly, the same PLQY is not observed after triplet-triplet annihilation in the UC heterostructure as after its normal photoexcitation (although the UC layers exhibit low thresholds consistent with those reported in our previous work). We discuss the potential bottlenecks in energy transport that could lead to this unexpected reduction in PLQY after excitation via triplet-triplet annihilation, and how future design of SURMOF UC multilayers could overcome these limitations.

Conformational control of nonplanar free base porphyrins: towards bifunctional catalysts of tunable basicity.

For the first time, free base and N-methylated porphyrins have been utilized as bifunctional organocatalysts in Michael additions and it was found that distortion of the macrocycle is a vital prerequisite for their catalytic activity. Conformational design has been used to tailor the properties of nonplanar porphyrins with regards to availability of the N-H units for hydrogen bonding (distortion-dependent hydrogen bonding) and the basicity of the heterocyclic groups. NMR spectroscopic- and catalyst screening studies provided insight into the likely mode of catalyst action. This unprecedented use of free base and N-substituted porphyrins as organocatalysts opens a new functional role for porphyrins.

Immunoliposomes.

Since their discovery by Bangham about 50 years ago, liposomes have become promising tools in drug delivery systems. This has increased the therapeutic index of many drugs, and offers improved drug targeting and controlled release. In order to further improve the specificity of liposomes for malignant tissues, targeted liposomal formulations have been developed which represent the next step of liposomal drug delivery in medical treatment. Antibodies and antibody fragments are the most widely used targeting moieties for liposomes due to the high specificity for their target antigens. This has given rise to a new class of drug delivery vehicles, the so-called immunoliposomes. Immunoliposomes are generated by coupling of antibodies to the liposomal surface and allow for an active tissue targeting through binding to tumor cell-specific receptors. Such antibody modified liposomes are attracting great interest for their potential use in specific drug delivery to cancer cells, gene therapy, drug delivery through blood brain barrier, or molecular imaging. Thus far, immunoliposomes show promising results in vitro and in vivo and appear to be effective systems for improvements in cancer treatment. This review covers the literature of the past decade with special emphasis on in vitro and in vivo studies.

Control of the axial coordination of a surface-confined manganese (III) porphyrin complex.

The organization and thermal lability of chloro(5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl porphyrinato)manganese(III) (Cl-MnTPP) molecules on the Ag(111) surface have been investigated under ultra-high vacuum conditions, using scanning tunnelling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The findings reveal the epitaxial nature of the molecule-substrate interface, and moreover, offer a valuable insight into the latent coordination properties of surface-confined metalloporphyrins. The Cl-MnTPP molecules are found to self-assemble on the Ag(111) surface at room temperature, forming an ordered molecular overlayer described by a square unit cell. In accordance with the threefold symmetry of the Ag(111) surface, three rotationally equivalent domains of the molecular overlayer are observed. The primitive lattice vectors of the Cl-MnTPP overlayer show an azimuthal rotation of ±15° relative to those of the Ag(111) surface, while the principal molecular axes of the individual molecules are found to be aligned with the substrate (0(-)11) and ((-)211) crystallographic directions. The axial chloride (Cl) ligand is found to be orientated away from the Ag(111) surface, whereby the average plane of the porphyrin macrocycle lies parallel to that of the substrate. When adsorbed on the Ag(111) surface, the Cl-MnTPP molecules display a latent thermal lability resulting in the dissociation of the axial Cl ligand at ~423 K. The thermally induced dissociation of the Cl ligand leaves the porphyrin complex otherwise intact, giving rise to the coordinatively unsaturated Mn(III) derivative. Consistent with the surface conformation of the Cl-MnTPP precursor, the resulting (5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl porphyrinato)manganese(III) (MnTPP) molecules display the same lattice structure and registry with the Ag(111) surface.

Growth and ordering of Ni(II) diphenylporphyrin monolayers on Ag(111) and Ag/Si(111) studied by STM and LEED.

The room temperature self-assembly and ordering of (5,15-diphenylporphyrinato)nickel(II) (NiDPP) on the Ag(111) and Ag/Si(111)-(√3 × âˆš3)R30° surfaces have been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The self-assembled structures and lattice parameters of the NiDPP monolayer are shown to be extremely dependent on the reactivity of the substrate, and probable molecular binding sites are proposed. The NiDPP overlayer on Ag(111) grows from the substrate step edges, which results in a single-domain structure. This close-packed structure has an oblique unit cell and consists of molecular rows. The molecules in adjacent rows are rotated by approximately 17° with respect to each other. In turn, the NiDPP molecules form three equivalent domains on the Ag/Si(111)-(√3 × âˆš3)R30° surface, which follow the three-fold symmetry of the substrate. The molecules adopt one of three equivalent orientations on the surface, acting as nucleation sites for these domains, due to the stronger molecule-substrate interaction compared to the case of the Ag(111). The results are explained in terms of the substrate reactivity and the lattice mismatch between the substrate and the molecular overlayer.

Ni(II) porphine nanolines grown on a Ag(111) surface at room temperature.

The room temperature growth and ordering of (porphyrinato)nickel (II) (or nickel (II) porphine, NiP) molecules on a Ag(111) surface have been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). At a coverage of one monolayer, NiP molecules form a well-ordered molecular layer, having a hexagonal structure, on the Ag(111) surface. Porphyrin molecules have a flat orientation in this overlayer with the molecular plane lying parallel to the substrate. LEED data obtained from one monolayer of the NiP on the Ag(111) surface show the formation of two mirror domains each rotated either clockwise or anticlockwise by 6 degrees with respect to the substrate. NiP molecules forming a second layer self-assemble into well-ordered and uniformly separated nanolines at room temperature. These nanolines consist of hexagonally ordered NiP molecules and are found to be 1-4 molecules wide, depending on the molecular coverage. The completed second monolayer preserves the same planarity and hexagonal ordering as the first molecular layer but with a 4% lateral relaxation which produces a periodic modulation of approximately 5 nm.

An x-ray absorption and photoemission study of the electronic structure of Ni porphyrins and Ni N-confused porphyrin.

Investigations of chemical bonding and electronic structure features for polycrystalline (porphyrinato)nickel (II) (NiP, the simplest Ni porphyrin), (5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel (II) (NiTPP) and (2-aza-21-carba-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel (II) (N-confused NiTPP, NiNCTPP) have been performed by means of high-resolution soft x-ray absorption and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The Ni 2p(3/2) x-ray absorption spectra show strong π-back-bonding in these compounds leading to a high-energy shift (1.2 eV for the NiP and NiTPP) of the entire absorption structure compared to Ni metal. It has been found that the main absorption line of the Ni 2p(3/2) spectrum of the NiNCTPP is shifted by an additional 0.5 eV to higher energies in comparison with those for other nickel porphyrins. This shift is evidence of stronger back-donation (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) and a smaller effective number of 3d electrons on the central Ni atom in the NiNCTPP as compared to other Ni porphyrins. The confused N atom in the NiNCTPP is of pyrrolic type (protonated nitrogen), which was confirmed by the N 1s absorption and core-level photoemission spectra.

Mechanistic studies on the nucleophilic reaction of porphyrins with organolithium reagents.

Porphyrins react readily with organolithium reagents under substitution of free meso positions. As this method has proven to be very versatile for the preparation of a wide range of meso substituted porphyrins, a mechanistic study of the reaction was undertaken using 5,15-diaryl- and dialkyl substituted porphyrins, 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin, and the respective nickel(II) complexes. A combination of deuteration experiments, electronic absorption spectroscopy of the reactive intermediates, trapping of intermediates with organic electrophiles, and reaction at different pH values showed significant differences in the reaction pathways of free base porphyrins and metalloporphyrins. In both cases the reaction proceeds initially under formation of phlorin like intermediates which are stable in water. For the Ni(II)phlorins a mesomeric carbanionic form with a highly distorted structure exists that can react as a nucleophile with electrophiles such as RI, H+, or D+. In the latter case a protonation-deprotonation equilibrium involving porphodimethen intermediates has to be assumed. Free base phlorins do not react as nucleophiles but can undergo H/D exchange reactions in strongly acidic media.

Sodium etiobilirubin-IVgamma-C10-sulfonate: a highly solvated bile pigment structure containing two different non-ridge-tile conformers in the unit cell.

The crystal structure of the title compound is the first example of a bilirubin existing in both extended and cyclic conformations and the first bile pigment structure showing two markedly different conformations in the unit cell. In contrast to previous rubin structures the dipyrrinone rings are twisted out of planarity in both conformers. Because of numerous hydrogen-bonding and ionic interactions a highly complex tetrameric structure is observed in which each extended conformer is held pincer-like by another.

The reaction of porphyrins with organolithium reagents.

Porphyrins react readily with organolithium reagents, preferentially in the meso positions. The overall reaction is a nucleophilic substitution and proceeds via initial reaction of the organic nucleophile with a meso carbon yielding an anionic species which is hydrolyzed to a porphodimethene (5,15-dihydroporphyrin), formally constituting an addition reaction to two Cm positions. Subsequent oxidation with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) yields meso-substituted porphyrins. The reaction is highly versatile as it is accomplished in high, often quantitative yields with various alkyl or aryl lithium reagents. In addition, LiR can be used for reaction with a variety of metal complexes (best with NiII, but also with ZnII, CuII, and CoII) and most useful with free base porphyrins. Similarly beneficial this reaction can be used in sequence for the introduction of 1, 2, 3, or 4 (different) meso substituents giving for the first time an entry into any desired meso-substituted porphyrin. If meso-substituted porphyrins are used, reaction with LiR can be used for either the preparation of phlorins (already known reaction), porphodimethenes (5,15-dihydroporphyrins, including those with exocyclic double bonds, for example, 5(1),5(2)-didehydroporphyrins) or chlorins (2,3-dihydroporphyrins) depending on the substituent type in the reactant porphyrins. Thus, this reaction presents a generally applicable method for the facile and versatile functionalization of porphyrins.

Structure and conformation of photosynthetic pigments and related compounds 7. On the conformation of the methyl ester of (20-methyl-phytochlorinato)nickel(II)--a bacteriochlorophyll c model compound.

The crystal and molecular structure of the title compound 4 have been determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The structure shows the typical S4-ruffled conformation observed for Ni(II) tetrapyrroles. Compared to the structure of the methyl ester of (13(2)-demethoxycarbonyl-pheophorbidato a)nickel(II), 4 shows a smaller Ca-Cm-Ca angle and a higher degree of conformational distortion at the methyl-substituted C20 position. This local distortion of the macrocycle might account for the bathochromic shifted absorption spectra of the bacteriochlorophylls c compared to the d-series. Crystal data: C35H38N4NiO3; tetragonal, P4(3)2(1)2, a = 15.335(7) A, c = 25.11(2) A, V = 5904, Z = 8, lambda(Mo K alpha) = 0.71069 A, mu = 0.701 mm-1, F(000) = 2624, 130 K, R = 0.058 for 5700 reflections with F > 4.0 sigma(F).

Aggregation of 2,3-dihydroxy-etiochlorin I. An amphiphilic model compound for photodynamic therapy and green heme d.

The crystal structure of 2,3-dihydroxy-etiochlorin I has been determined to obtain information on its aggregation behavior. Cis-dihydroxychlorins serve as model compounds for green heme d and show promising photonecrotic activity in photodynamic therapy. The compound shows strong aggregation in the solid state facilitated by intramolecular hydrogen bonding between one hydroxy group and pyrrole nitrogens of neighboring molecules. This novel type of aggregation leads to chain-type aggregates in the crystal. The title compound 4 crystallized in the monoclinic space group Ia (Z = 4) with unit cell dimensions a = 9.902(4) A, b = 26.430(9) A, c = 10.823(5), beta = 104.47(3) A, V = 2743(2) A3. The structure was refined to an R-value of 0.097 on the basis of 1150 reflections with F > 4.0 sigma (F) (130 K).