One electron vs. two electron electrochemical and chemical oxidation of electron-donor substituted diketo-pyrrolo-pyrroles

Electrochemical and chemical (using FeCl3) oxidation reactions of a series of eight N,N′-dialkylated soluble diketo-pyrrolo-pyrrole dyes (DPPs) substituted by electron donating and/or electron withdrawing groups were investigated electrochemically and by UV-vis spectrometry and the results were rationalized by DFT calculations. Influence of substituents on HOMO and LUMO energies as well as on the electron transfer mechanism was followed. Destabilization of HOMO by two piperidino-substituents in 3,6-diphenyl-DPP 5 enabled to observe a potential inversion in electrochemical oxidation of this derivative, when a two-electron oxidation occurs leading directly to a dication, whereas other DPPs are oxidized first in a one-electron transfer to a radical cation. In chemical oxidation with FeCl3 the radical cation is produced by two mechanisms: either directly (standard reaction) or in the case of 5 by a comproportionation reaction of neutral molecule and its dication. Using mutual comparison of oxidation potentials and HOMO/LUMO energies a quite realistic limit of FeCl3 oxidation ability in acetonitrile was found.