Oxidative metalation as a route to size-mismatched macrocyclic complexes: osmium corroles.

Heavy-element corroles are of great interest as optical sensors, near-IR dyes, phosphors, organic light-emitting diodes, and anticancer compounds. Insertion of 5d metals into corroles, however, is often a difficult and unpredictable process. Against this backdrop, oxidative metalation of meso triarylcorroles with [Os3 (CO)12 ]/NaN3 in refluxing 1:2 diethylene glycol monomethyl ether/glycol has provided a convenient and relatively high-yielding route to nitridoosmium(VI) corroles, three of which could be characterized with single-crystal X-ray structure analysis.