Toward Generic Models of Hemoproteins

The versatility of a resorcinol-substituted phenanthroline-strapped porphyrin was enhanced by appending allyl chains via a double Claisen rearrangement. Two pyridine arms were then appended to the resorcinol oxygens. This multifunctional porphyrin is a suitable generic building block for the preparation of liposoluble heme protein models. X-ray characterization of the pentacoordinated zinc complex and the binding of a sixth imidazole ligand to the ferric complex both suggest a facilitated access to an empty distal site.