NIR absorbing diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY with a UV-Vis-NIR spectrum remarkably close to that of magnesium tetracyanotetraferrocenyltetraazaporphyrin.

Diferrocene-containing meso-cyano-BODIPY (4) was prepared by the direct cyanation/oxidation reaction of symmetric BODIPY 1 followed by Knoevenagel condensation with ferrocenealdehyde. Ferrocene-containing BODIPY 4 was characterized by a variety of spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical methods and its UV-Vis-NIR spectrum has a striking similarity with a UV-Vis-NIR spectrum of the previously reported magnesium 2(3),7(8),12(13),17(18)-tetracyano-3(2),8(7),13(12),18(17)-tetraferrocenyl-5,10,15,20-tetraazaporphyrin.