Electronic and Atomic Structure Studies of Rare Earth Metalloporphyrins by XAFS

The rare earth porphyrins represent a promising class of materials, due to their physical-chemical properties. A detailed study of the local structure of the RE series of porphyrins RETPP (RE = Yb, Er) was carried out by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAFS) using the synchrotron radiation. XAFS experiments prove the trivalent state of rare earth metals (Er, Yb) in metalloporphyrins. The relationship between the extended fine structure and the atomic structure of the porphyrin macrocycle with a central rare earth element (Yb, Er) is presented and discussed.