Systematic synthesis and photochemistry of tetraaryl porphyrins mono-substituted with a transition metal carbonyl: characterisation of a zinc porphyrin–rhenium carbonyl complex †

A systematic synthesis designed to connect a metalloporphyrin to a metal carbonyl moiety is demonstrated through a zinc tetraphenyl porphyrin substituted with Re(CO)3(4′-methyl-2,2′-bipyridyl)Br via an amide bond; the emission and excited state absorption spectra are dominated by porphyrin transitions.