Synthesis and characterization of cobalt(III) complexes of meso-phenyl-substituted corroles

The synthesis and characterization of two new cobalt(III) complexes of corrole: [triphenylphosphine-(2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-10-phenylcorrolato)cobalt(III)] and [triphenylphosphine(2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octa-methyl-5,10,15-triphenylcorrolato)cobalt(III) are reported. Such complexes represent the first examples of meso-substituted corrolates reported in the literature. The insertion of one or three phenyl groups at the meso-positions of the macrocyclic ligand has been achieved by designing different synthetic strategies. The spectroscopic characterization of the complexes shows the peculiarity of the corrole ligand which maintains a planar structure despite the steric hindrance of the peripheral substituents.