The First Example of Oxidative Nucleophilic Substitution of Hydrogen in meso-Aryl Ring of the 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenylporphyrin Derivatives

A synthesis of [2-nitro-5-(10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin-5-yl)-phenyl]phenyl-acetonitrile zinc complex by the reaction of the respective nitroporphyrin with the anion of benzyl cyanide, followed by addition of DDQ, is described. This is the first example of this type of process in the nitrophenyl side ring of meso-tetraarylporphyrin derivatives