Protonation of a free-base meso-pyrimidinyl-substituted AB 2 -corrole (H 3 AB 2 ) in ethanol solution by stepwise addition of sulfuric acid has been studied in the temperature range from 293 to 333 K. The formation rate of protonated species was found to depend profoundly on the temperature at which the titration was undertaken. Two steps in the titration curve were identified at temperatures around 293−298 K, whereas one-step formation of protonated species was found to occur at temperatures above 308 K. The protonation product was the same in both cases, i.e., H 4 AB 2 + corrole, protonated at the macrocycle core nitrogen atoms. The two steps in the protonation kinetics at lower temperatures were attributed to protonation of individual tautomers of the free-base H 3 AB 2 corrole. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-illustrated (spectrophotometric) observation of individual properties of corrole NH tautomers in fluid solution. Concomitant increase in the NH tautomerization rate with increasing temperature is proposed to account for the one-step protonation. Evidences for the role of individual corrole NH tautomers in the protonation process as well as their optical features are discussed based on spectroscopic results and simulation data. ■ INTRODUCTIONCorroles, contracted tetrapyrrolic macrocycles lacking one meso-carbon atom, have emerged as attractive porphyrinoid materials, notably during the past decade, in which novel synthetic pathways toward meso-triaryl-substituted corroles and numerous postmacrocyclization functionalization protocols have considerably enlarged the set of available corrole structures and their potential applications.1,2 Corrole-based materials are nowadays extensively studied as novel catalysts, antitumor treatment, and imaging agents as well as active materials in the design of new sensors and optoelectronic devices. 3,4 Two major structural peculiarities of corroles relative to porphyrins are the presence of three rather than two NH protons in the coordination core and their lower symmetry. The phenomenon of NH tautomerization has been known for a long time for free-base (Fb) porphyrins and has been studied in detail by NMR and optical spectroscopy methods in both the liquid and solid states. 5 The presence of three NH protons in the corrole macrocyclic core and the inherent asymmetry impose many questions concerning the specific details of the corrole tautomerization mechanism. Quantum chemical calculations predict a substantially lower barrier for corrole tautomerization (2.45 kcal mol −1 )6 as compared to that of porphyrins (17 kcal mol −1 ), 7 which leads to a much faster rate of proton migration in the tetrapyrrolic core. The lower symmetry of the Fb corrole macrocycle (C s ) compared to that of a Fb porphyrin (D 2h ) implies that the two tautomeric forms are distinct and structurally quite different (see Scheme 1), which opens the possibility to detect the two NH tautomers for any corrole derivative, independently of the peripheral substitution pa...

The absorption spectra of 10-(4,6-dichloropyrimidin-5-yl)-5,15-dimesitylcorrole have been studied in 15 solvents. The formation of deprotonated corrole species was found to account for the dramatic changes in the absorption spectra in several solvents. Careful analysis of the relationship between the formation of deprotonated species and solvent properties results in the conclusion that there is no single solvent parameter correlation, and either multiparameter correlations or specific solute-solvent interactions (preferential solvation of the most acidic NH tautomer or perturbation of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the macrocycle core) should be considered. The fluorescence properties of the deprotonated pyrimidinylcorrole are also reported for the first time and compared to those of free-base and protonated species.

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