The first versatile synthetic approach to cofacial bis-porphyrins with calixarene spacers.

[structure: see text] A versatile stepwise synthetic approach to cofacial bis-porphyrin species with calix[4]arene spacers has been designed. The three examples described demonstrate that the method allows selection, in a tailor-made fashion, of the calix[4]arene conformation, the type of functionalization of the calixarene rims, and the anchoring point of the chromophores on the calix[4]arene spacer.