Skeletal Rearrangement of Twisted Thia‐Norhexaphyrin: Multiply Annulated Polypyrrolic Aromatic Macrocycles

A hybrid thia‐norhexaphyrin comprising a directly linked N‐confused pyrrole and thiophene unit ( 1 ) revealed unique macrocycle transformations to afford multiply inner‐annulated aromatic macrocycles. Oxidation with 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone triggered a cleavage of the C−S bond of the thiophene unit, accompanied with skeletal rearrangement to afford unique π‐conjugated products: a thiopyrrolo‐pentaphyrin embedded with a pyrrolo[1,2]isothiazole ( 2 ), a sulfur‐free pentaphyrin incorporating an indolizine moiety ( 3 ), and a thiopyranyltriphyrinoid containing a 2H‐thiopyran unit ( 4 ). Furthermore, 2 underwent desulfurization reactions to afford a fused pentaphyrin containing a pyrrolizine moiety ( 5 ) under mild conditions. Using expanded porphyrin scaffolds, oxidative thiophene cleavage and desulfurization of the hitherto unknown N‐confused core‐modified macrocycles would be a practical approach for developing unique polypyrrolic aromatic macrocycles.