N-Confused porphyrin (NCP) and its externally methylated variant (MeNCP) were investigated using UV-vis and magnetic circular dichrosim (MCD) spectroscopies. In addition to evaluating the spectroscopy of the neutral compounds, the acid/base chemistry of these macrocycles was examined by the same methods. NCP exhibits two tautomeric states depending on the polarity of the solvent, and their protonation/deprotonation chemistries also differ depending on solvent polarity. DFT and TDDFT calculations were employed to evaluate the observed spectroscopic changes. Using both experimental and calculated results, we were able to determine the sites of protonation/deprotonation for both tautomeric forms of NCP. Inspection of the MCD Faraday B terms for all of the macrocycles presented in this report showed that the ΔHOMO > ΔLUMO condition is maintained in all cases, and these observations were in good agreement with the DFT calculations.

Nickel N-confused tetraphenylporphyrin, 1, and nickel 2-N-methyl-N-confused tetraphenylporphyrin, 1-Me, exhibit unusual sign-reversed (positive-to-negative intensities in ascending energy) MCD spectra in the Q-type band region, suggesting a rare ΔHOMO < ΔLUMO relationship between π and π* MOs in the porphyrin core. Simple and reversible deprotonation of the external NH proton in 1 dramatically changes the electronic structure of the porphyrin core into the ΔHOMO > ΔLUMO combination characteristic for the meso-(tetraaryl)porphyrins. DFT, time-dependent DFT, and semiempirical ZINDO/S calculations on 1, 1-Me, and 1(-) confirm the experimental finding and successfully explain the MCD pattern in the target compounds.

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