Size and ability do matter! Influence of acidity and pore size on the synthesis of hindered halogenated meso-phenyl porphyrins catalysed by porous solid oxides.

The rationalisation of the influence of acidity and pore size of several solid oxides so that they selectively act as supports for preparation of encapsulated porphyrin hybrid materials or as catalysts for synthesis of porphyrins in solution is discussed. Encapsulated porphyrin yields are dependent on both the acidity and the material pore size, Al-MCM-41 being the best fitting solid, with Lewis acidity of 120 μmol Py per g and a pore size 30 Å. On the other hand, when the goal is the synthesis of hindered mesoarylporphyrins in solution, the best solid porous catalyst is NaY, with Lewis acidity of 510 μmol Py per g and a pore size 14 Å. This method provides an appealing efficient, reusable and scalable catalyst alternative for one-pot synthesis of meso-arylporphyrins in high yields.