Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines in Catalysis

Dear Colleagues,

Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are heteromacrocyclic compounds, both with extended aromatic conjugation, which provides them with unique physical/chemical characteristics, such as high molar extinction coefficients and electron transfer ability.

Porphyrins, particularly β-substituted porphyrins and their reduced derivatives, are naturally occurring molecules that have key roles as redox catalysts in biological systems, in both plants (e.g., chlorophyll, a magnesium-chlorin complex) and animals (e.g., heme group, an iron-porphyrin complex, responsible for cellular respiration). Therefore, porphyrins are often called “the Pigments of Life”. Additionally, in recent years, synthetic meso-substituted porphyrins and metalloporphyrins have been widely applied as efficient catalysts in a large number of chemical reactions. In turn, phthalocyanines are widely accessible and chemically stable synthetic molecules can that be easily prepared and structurally modulated. When compared to porphyrins, the increase in π-electrons and presence of nitrogen atoms in the meso positions allow the formation of stable metallic complexes and offer intense absorption bands in the near-infrared, in addition to the UV/violet region.

Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are particularly attractive in catalysis due to the straightforward modifications of their aromatic peripheral structure and the facile complexation with most metallic elements, which allow modulating their physical properties and catalytic activity.

In this Special Issue, we aim to cover the most relevant and scalable porphyrin and phthalocyanine-catalyzed reactions, showing how such compounds engage in broad applications in catalysis, engineering, and modern synthetic chemistry. Thus, we invite researchers and the scientific community to contribute with original research and/or review articles on all aspects of the catalytic applications of porphyrins, phthalocyanine, and their metal complexes. Potential topics, among others, include the following:

• Synthesis, coordination studies, and catalytic applications of porphyrins and phthalocyanines;
• Organocatalysis with porphyrins and phthalocyanines;
• Porphyrin and phthalocyanine metal complexes and their use in homogeneous catalysis;
• Immobilized and heterogeneous catalysis;
• Photocatalysis;
• Continuous-flow processes;
• Catalytic oxidation reactions (epoxidation, sulfoxidation; hydroxylation, synthesis of carbonyl compounds, C–H oxidation, etc.);
• Catalytic reduction reactions;
• Catalytic C–C and C–N coupling reactions;
• Catalytic carbon dioxide activation (CO₂ photoreduction, CO₂ cycloaddition to epoxides, CO₂/epoxide copolymerization, etc.).

Dr. Rui Carrilho
Prof. Dr. Mariette M. Pereira
Guest Editors

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• synthesis, coordination studies, and catalytic applications of porphyrins and phthalocyanines
• organocatalysis
• homogeneous catalysis
• immobilized and heterogeneous catalysis
• oxidation
• reduction
• C–C coupling reactions
• catalytic amination
• carbon dioxide activation