Enzyme mimics based on cyclic porphyrin oligomers: strategy, design and exploratory synthesis

Abstract

A strategy is set out for the design and synthesis of a series of cyclic porphyrin oligomers which should be able to bind two or more substrate molecules, catalyse a reaction between them and release the product(s). Exploratory syntheses and some spectroscopic properties of butadiyne-linked cyclic dimer, trimer and tetramers of two meso-diaryl porphyrins are described in detail.