¹³C NMR spectroscopic evidence for the existence of the monocation of pyropheophytin a

Pyropheophytin a, which is an unsymmetric porphyrin, has been titrated with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in tetrahydrofuran, the protonation reaction being followed by 13 C NMR spectroscopy. TFA was added in small increments to a 0.28 M solution of pyropheophytin a in tetrahydrofuran, and the chemical shift changes of the macrocyclic carbons were determined as a function of the TFA increments. On the addition of TFA the signals of the α‐carbons of ring II experienced a large upfield change, whereas the signals of all other macrocyclic carbons moved only slightly downfield or remained constant. These observations were interpreted as indicating the formation of a monocation in which the proton is attached to the nitrogen of ring II. The 13 C protonation shifts of pyropheophytin a were compared with those previously reported for symmetric porphyrins. On the basis of this comparison, the basicity of the macrocyclic nitrogen atoms, the N–H tautomerism and the electron delocalization in structurally different porphyrin macrocycles are discussed.