The synthesis and characterization of three monomeric aluminum porphycenes with anionic or σ-bonded axial ligands is reported. The investigated compounds are represented as ( EtioPc ) Al ( CH 3) and ( EtioPc ) AlX where EtioPc represents the dianion of etioporphycene and X = Cl − or OH −. Each synthesized complex was characterized by mass spectrometry. 1 H NMR, IR and UV-visible spectroscopies as well as by electrochemistry. Comparisons are made between the properties of complexes in the aluminum etioporphycene series and related chloro- or methyl σ-bonded Al ( III ) porphyrins containing octaethylporphyrin ( OEP ) or tetraphenylporphyrin ( TPP ) macrocycles. Comparisons are also made between the currently investigated compounds and a previously reported Al ( III ) μ-oxo dimer, [( EtioPc ) Al ]2 O . In addition, the crystal and molecular structure of ( EtioPc ) Al ( CH 3) was determined by X-ray diffraction. The molecular structure of this methyl-σ-bonded aluminum etioporphycene provides the first structural data for an aluminum porphycene compound. The aluminum(III) atom in ( EtioPc ) Al ( CH 3) is pentacoordinated and is located 0.54 Å from the plane of the four N -nitrogens.
