Rh complexes of a new generation sapphyrin: unique structures, axial chirality, and catalysis thereby.

Rhodium insertion into the new 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)sapphyrin was found to be much more facile than for other analogues, owing to NH center dot center dot center dot F hydrogen-bonding interactions that stabilise the pyrrole-inverted structure characteristic of the metallated product. The thus-obtained rhodium(I) complexes have axial chirality, and the enantiomers were resolved. The latter were found to interconvert quite rapidly in a process that involves a tautomerisation-like movement of the metal fragment between the five N atoms. The rhodium sapphyrins were investigated as catalysts for organic synthesis, by studying their carbene-transfer activity in the cyclopropanation of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate and comparing it to that of rhodium corroles.