Synthesis and Characterization of Ruffled Phosphorus meso-Ester Corroles

The strong electron-withdrawing character of 5,15-meso-ester groups was demonstrated through the study of four fluorescent hexacoordinate phosphorus(V) meso-substituted corroles, which were characterized by various techniques including single-crystal X-ray diffraction and first-principles calculations. The nature of the remaining meso substituent tunes the physicochemical properties of these phosphorus complexes only slightly but unexpectedly plays a key role in the ruffling of the macrocycle.