Abstract
This PhD work is devoted to the synthesis of porphyrins fused to imidazolium rings and their use as precursors of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHC). Therefore, these compounds possess two coordination sites, the internal (the macrocycle) and the external (the NHC ligand) ones, allowing the synthesis of dinuclear complexes. This study is mainly centered on the synthesis of metalloporphyrins conjugated with peripheral gold(I) complexes such as [(NHC)AuCl]. In view of applications in photodynamic therapy (PDT), the functionalization of these complexes by carbohydrates was achieved through the substitution of chloride ligands of peripheral gold(I) complexes. Biological tests on cell cultures show a clear potentialization of the photodynamic properties of the photosensitizers bearing mannose ligands bound to gold(I). Following this study, the synthesis of porphyrins fused to two imidazolium rings was achieved allowing for the first time the synthesis of trinuclear species such as Au/M/Au (M = inner metal in the porphyrin core) with different geometries. These compounds open interesting perspectives in view of obtaining photosensitizers having two carbohydrates at their periphery. Moreover, it was shown that trinuclear species such as Au/Zn/Au can be used as molecular building-blocks for the synthesis of organometallic polymers in view of applications in (photo)catalysis.