Highly Fluorous Porphyrins as Model Compounds for Molecule Interferometry

The synthesis and characterization of seven tailor-made highly fluorous porphyrin derivatives are described, as large perfluoroalkyl-functionalized organic molecules are the most complex objects for which the quantum wave nature has been observed so far. We have found, in particular, that tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin is a suitable starting point for a modular synthesis that is geared towards porphyrin derivatives with many peripheral fluorous chains. This allows us to tailor and optimize the sublimation features of these compounds for molecule interferometry. We have analyzed the evaporation process of one member of the series by determining the enthalpy of evaporation, as the creation of a sufficiently intense, slow molecular beam is crucial for quantum interference experiments. We present the quantum fringe pattern of a second member of the series, which we could obtain in a Kapitza?Dirac?Talbot?Lau interferometer.