A convenient preparation of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-iodo-benzaldehyde and its application in porphyrin synthesis

An efficient synthesis of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-iodo-benzaldehyde (1) is presented. This new compound was readily obtained via iodination at low temperature of the lithio derivative of 2-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-phenyl)-[1,3]dioxolane (4). The crystal structure of 1 consists of linear polymeric chains, with non-covalent O⋯I bonding as the directing interaction, responsible for the observed assembly. Aldehyde 1 is further employed in the synthesis of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (6), a potential precursor of supramolecular assemblies.