Evidence of the withdrawing effect of a pyridinium N-cation on the electrochemical reduction of gold (III) tetraphenylporphyrin

1-(AuIII-meso-tetraphenylporphyrin)-4-pyridinium dication AuIIITPP+-β-Py+, formed by a pyridinium cation bearing a charged gold porphyrin at the N-position, has been synthetised and studied by stationary voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, UV–Vis spectroelectrochemistry and exhaustive coulometry. The pyridinium cation and the porphyrin ring are both electroactive species on the investigated range of potentials. The obtained results allowed to discriminate the sites of the different charge transfers and to propose a mechanism for the three first electrochemical reduction processes involved. The gold porphyrin reduces before the reduction of the pyridinium cation whose signal is intercalated between two reduction steps of the porphyrin. A transient dimeric gold porphyrin is detected. The withdrawing effect of the pyridinium cation on the reduction potentials of the porphyrin is discussed and quantified.