Etio or meso type free base porphyrin dimers bridged by either 6,6'-di
phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine or 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline spacers wer
e synthesized following parallel routes. Metallation of one of the por
phyrins with zinc(II) allowed to study the intramolecular fluorescence
quenching of the zinc(II) porphyrin component by the free base compon
ent within the dimers, It was shown to depend on the nature of the het
erocyclic spacer.