Northern–Southern Route to Synthetic Bacteriochlorins

Abstract

A new route to bacteriochlorins via Northern–Southern (N-S) self-condensation of a dihydrodipyrrin–acetal complements a prior Eastern–Western (E-W) route. Each bacteriochlorin was prepared in five steps from an α-halopyrrole and a 2,2-dimethylpent-4-ynoic acid. The first three steps follow Jacobi’s synthesis of dihydrodipyrrins: Pd-mediated coupling to form a lactone–pyrrole, Petasis reagent treatment for methenylation, and Paal–Knorr type ring closure to form the 1,2,2-trimethyl-substituted dihydrodipyrrin. Subsequent steps entail conversion of the 1-methyl group to the 1-(dimethoxymethyl) unit and acid-catalyzed self-condensation of the resulting dihydrodipyrrin–acetal. The essential differences between the N-S and E-W routes lie in (1) the location of the gem-dimethyl group (with respect to the 1-acetal unit) at the 2- versus 3-position in the dihydrodipyrrin–acetals, respectively, (2) the method of synthesis of the dihydrodipyrrins, and consequently (3) access to diverse substituted bacteriochlorins including those with substituents at the meso-positions. Ten new bacteriochlorins bearing 0–6 total aryl, alkyl, and carboethoxy substituents at the β-pyrrole and/or meso-positions have been prepared, with yields of macrocycle formation of up to 39%. Four single-crystal X-ray structures (two intermediates, two bacteriochlorins) were determined. The bacteriochlorins exhibit characteristic bacteriochlorophyll-like absorption spectra, including a Qy band in the region 713–760 nm