Further insight into aryl nitration of tetraphenylporphyrin

We report an in-depth study on meso-aryl nitration of tetraphenylporphyrin. In contrast to previous studies, new evidence reveals that tetrakis(p-nitrophenyl) derivative can be obtained as a major product. Successful isolation of the barely soluble product toward a remarkable yield of nearly 90% has been reached by means of a solid phase extraction technique. Distribution of different nitro-porphyrin components is reassessed with respect to varying acid content in the reactions. An ortho-effect model is proposed to describe the formation mechanism.