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Macrocyclic molecules play key roles in basic processes in living organisms. Free bases and the metal complexes of porphyrins exhibit a wide range of important optical properties. In these systems the position of the most intense absorption band depends on the peripheral substituents of the macrocycle. Sol-gel methods have generally allowed the successful trapping of porphyrins into inorganic networks. The materials obtained are strong and transparent monolithic gels, but in the majority of cases the red fluorescence of the porphyrins disappears with ageing. We have evaluated the effect of the type and spatial disposition of the substituents in the porphyrin macrocycle periphery on key optical properties, with particular emphasis on the conservation of red fluorescence when porphyrins are simply trapped or covalently bonded to the inorganic matrix. Here, we report the use of the sol-gel procedures to obtain monolithic gels with the hydroxyl- or amino-substituted α, β, γ, δ-tetraphenylporphyrins, (H2T(S)PP), simply trapped or covalently bonded to the SiO2 matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]