Porphyrins containing benzoquinone groups are of interest because of their relevance to functional moieties (tetrapyrroles and quinones) involved in photosynthesis in biological systems. In this context, metal complexes with polyvalent tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrins (H2TBHPP) have been synthesized and their oxidation to yield quinoid compounds has been explored. While mononuclear TBHPP complexes are well known, very few heterodinuclear complexes containing TBHPP and its quinoid derivatives have been isolated. In this work, the synthesis, crystal structure and oxidation of nitrido-bridged heterometallic Fe(IV) and Ru(IV) TBHPP complexes will be reported.

Acknowledgment. This work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (project no. 16301120).