Scalable synthesis of dipyrromethanes

1. A non-aqueous method of making a dipyrromethane, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a non-aqueous reaction system consisting essentially of (i) an aldehyde or acetal, (ii) excess pyrrole and (iii) a catalyst;

(b) reacting said aldehyde or acetal with said pyrrole in said non-aqueous reaction system to form said dipyrromethane therein;

(c) quenching said non-aqueous reaction system by adding a base thereto without adding an organic solvent thereto;

(d) separating said catalyst from said non-aqueous reaction system, wherein said separating step is carried out by gravity or filtration; and then

(e) separating said pyrrole from said non-aqueous reaction system to produce said dipyrromethane as a residual.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:

(f) crystallizing said dipyrromethane.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aldehyde has the general formula RC(═O)H, wherein R is H, alkyl or aryl.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aldehyde is selected from the group consisting of formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, n-butyraldehyde, benzaldehyde, p-nitrobenzaldehyde, p-tolualdehyde, salicylaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, α-methylvaleraldehyde, β-methylvaleraldehyde, γ-methylvaleraldehyde, 4-pyridine carboxaldehyde, pentafluorobenzaldehyde, 4-ethynylbenzaldehyde, 4-[2-(triisopropylsilyl)ethynyl]benzaldehyde, 4-[3-methyl-3-hydroxy-but-1-ynyl)benzaldehyde, 4-(S-acetylthiomethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-(Se-acetyl-selenomethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-vinylbenzaldehyde, 4-allylbenzaldehyde, 4-cyanobenzaldehyde, 4-iodobenzaldehyde, 4-(bromomethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-(2-bromoethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-(1,3-dithiolan-2-yl)benzaldehyde, 4-(1,3-dithian-2-yl)benzaldehyde, 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzaldehyde, 4-(acetoxymethyl)benzaldehyde, 4-[2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxy-carbonyl]benzaldehyde, 4-methoxycarbonylbenzaldehyde, 5-[4-(di-tert-butyloxy-phosphoryl)benzaldehyde, 5-[4-(diethoxyphosphoryl)benzaldehyde, 5-[4-(di-tert-butyloxyphosphorylmethyl)benzaldehyde, 5-[4-(diethoxyphosphorylmethyl)benzaldehyde, 1,1,1-tris[4-(diethoxyphosphorylmethyl)phenyl]-1-(4-formylphenyl)methane, 1,1,1-tris[4-(S-acetylthiomethyl)phenyl]-1-(4-formylphenyl)methane, 3-(S-acetylthiomethyl)benzaldehyde, 3,5-diethynylbenzaldehyde, 3,5-bis[2-(triisopropyl-silyl)ethynyl]benzaldehyde, 4-(5,10,15-tri-p-tolylporphinatozinc(II)-20-yl)benzaldehyde,4-(5,10,15-tri-p-tolylporphin-20-yl)benzaldehyde, 4-(dipyrrin-5-yl)benzaldehyde, 4-[1,9-bis(4-methylbenzoyl)dipyrromethan-5-yl]benzaldehyde, 4-ferrocenylbenzaldehyde, propargyl aldehyde, bromomethylpropargyl aldehyde, chloromethylpropargyl aldehyde, S-acetylthiomethylpropargyl aldehyde, 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylpropargyl aldehyde, hydroxyacetaldehyde, and pyruvic aldehyde.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said acetal has the general formula RC(—OR′)(—OR″)H, wherein R, R′ and R′ are alkyl or aryl.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said catalyst is a Bronsted acid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said Bronsted acid is selected from the group consisting of trifluoroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, oxalic acid, taurine, malonic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and NH 4 Cl.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said catalyst is a Lewis acid.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said Lewis acid is selected from the group consisting of InCl 3 , Sc(OTf) 3 , MgBr 2 , CeCl 3 and LnX 3 wherein Ln is a lanthanide metal and X is halo or OTf.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said separating step (c) is carried out by filtering.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said separating step (c) is carried out by centrifugation.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said separating step (c) is carried out by settling.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said catalyst is a Lewis acid catalyst, wherein said quenching step precipitates said catalyst from said reaction system, and wherein said separating step (d) is carried out by filtering or gravity.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of synthesizing a porphyrinic macrocyle from said dipyrromethane.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of synthesizing a dipyrrin from said dipyrromethane.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of reacting said dipyrromethane with an oxidant and a metal salt to produce a bis(dipyrrinato)metal complex.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said oxidant is selected from the group consisting of DDQ, o-chloranil, and p-chloranil.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein said metal salt is selected from the group consisting of zinc, palladium, copper, nickel, and cobalt salts.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of coupling a porphyrinic macrocycle to said bis(dipyrrinato)metal complex to form a reaction product; and then treating said reaction product with a thiol reagent to disassemble said reaction product and form a dipyrrin-substituted porphyrinic macrocycle.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said thiol reagent is selected from the group consisting of dithiothreitol, 2-mercaptoethanol, butanethiol, and dithioerythritol.

21. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of reacting said bis(dipyrrinato)metal complex with a thiol reagent under neutral conditions to disassemble said bis(dipyrrinato)metal complex into separate dipyrrin groups.

22. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of reacting a dipyrrin-carboxaldehyde with said dipyrromethane in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce said trans-(dipyrrin) 2 -porphyrinic macrocycle.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein said reacting step is carried out at a temperature of from 0 to 100° C.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein said reacting step is carried out in a solvent selected from the group consisting of dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, chloroform, and mixtures thereof.