World Journal of Chemical Education, 2019, Vol. 7, No. 3, 225-231 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjce/7/3/6 Published by Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/wjce-7-3-6 An Undergraduate Experiment Using Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of First Raw Metalloporphyrins: Characterizations and Spectroscopic Study Muna Bufaroosha * , Shaikha S. Al Neyadi, Mohamed A.R. Alnaqbi, Sayed A.M. Marzouk, Abdullah Al-Hemyari, Bashar Yousef Abuhattab, Dana Akram Adi Department of Chemistry, College of Science, UAE University, Al-Ain, UAE *Corresponding author: muna.bufaroosha@uaeu.ac.ae Received July 19, 2019; Revised August 21, 2019; Accepted September 20, 2019 Abstract There is a notable absence in the practical inorganic curricula for experiments in which students can synthesize and characterize series of inorganic complexes. This is possibility attributed to the long required time which is not normally available in regular lab sessions. To address this absence, this paper describes a two-part experiment for chemistry major students in which they prepare series of metalloporphyrins using microwave- assisted technique. In addition to its attractive simplicity, microwave-assisted preparation substantially reduces the needed reaction time to suit the lab session duration. The first lab session is dedicated to the characterization of the 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) as well as the synthesis of the corresponding Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes. The second session involves the spectroscopic characterization (UV-vis, 1H-NMR, and IR) of the prepared metalloprophyrins. The students relate the experimental results with the provided theoretical data based on quantum chemical calculations. Keywords: Metalloporphyrins Frontiers Orbitals, metalloporphyrins electronic structure, metalloporphyrins microwave-assisted synthesis Cite This Article: Muna Bufaroosha, Shaikha S. Al Neyadi, Mohamed A.R. Alnaqbi, Sayed A.M. Marzouk, Abdullah Al-Hemyari, Bashar Yousef Abuhattab, and Dana Akram Adi, “An Undergraduate Experiment Using Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of First Raw Metalloporphyrins: Characterizations and Spectroscopic Study.” World Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 7, no. 3 (2019): 225-231. doi: 10.12691/wjce-7-3-6. 1. Introduction Since metalloporphyrins play an essential role in the chemistry of the living entities [1,2,3], scientists have always found them fascinating to study, understand, and mimic. Therefore, synthetic metalloporphyrins possess substantial significance in our world. For example, to be capable of understanding the detailed biological reactions involved in enzymatic processes, we need biomimetic representatives of these complicated enzymatic molecules. Synthetic metalloporphyrins provide such biomimicry molecules; and nowadays, they play important roles in medicine [4] materials [5] catalyst [6] among others. In general, to demonstrate a relationship between the structures and certain properties in class of complexes, usually, it requires many experimental and quantum calculations studies. The time constraint in educational laboratories makes it difficult to introduce this kind of experiments at the undergraduate level. However, with the advances in microwave-assisted synthesis technique, it is possible to reduce the experimental time substantially. This technique offers many advantages such as reduction in reaction time and increased product yield. [7] In addition to the laboratory work, we provided results of quantum cautions for the series of the complexes in the experiment. To explain a chemical phenomenon by combining experimental results with computational data gives a great depth of comprehension of the studied phenomenon. Exposing undergraduate students to this type of experiments where interpreting theoretical findings are used to explain empirical data, raise their appreciation and understanding for theoretical and computational methods in chemistry and their usages. The two-session undergraduate laboratory experiments presented in this paper involves synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of the synthetic metallotetraphenylporphyrins of the first-row transition metal (II) ions: Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn which will be prepared using microwave technique. The synthesized complexes will be characterized via UV-visible spectra, 1 H-NMR spectra, and infrared spectra. Because it is possible to conduct multi reactions at the same time in the multi-mode microwave providing that all the reaction requires the same conditions, therefore, it is achievable to prepare the whole series in the same time in