Dependence of the basic properties of meso-nitro-substituted derivatives of β-octaethylporphyrin on the nature of substituents

Spectrophotometric titration is used to study the basic properties of a series of porphyrins with a continuously increasing degree of macrocycle deformation resulting from the introduction of strong electron-withdrawing substituents: 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin (I), 5-nitro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin (II), 5,15-dinitro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin (III), 5,10,15-trinitro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin (IV), and 5,10,15,20-tetranitro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin (V). It is found that the values of logK (b) (total basicity constants) obtained for the investigated compounds consistently diminish with an increase in the number of meso-substituents: 11.85 (I) > 10.45 (II) > 10.31 (III) > 10.23 (IV) > 9.56 (V). It is shown that two opposing factors, the steric and electronic effects of the substituents, change the basic properties of the above series of compounds.