Facile synthesis of a bis-linked dioxocyclam porphyrin

Reaction of the 5,15-di- (2-alkylamidophenyl)-etioporphyrin 3 (alpha,alpha- atropisomer) with the 'self-trans-diprotected' dioxocyclam 4 leads easily, in only two steps, to a new symmetrical dioxocyclam porphyrin 5 in an overa ll 41% yield. This ligand is a precursor of models of cytochromes. All the compounds have been fully characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectro metry and W-vis, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and H-1-C-13 heteronuclear correlation N MR spectroscopies. X-ray structural data are presented for the Zn(II) porph yrin 6 confirming that the porphyrin and the dioxocyclam adopt cofacial ori entations. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.