Methods and intermediates for the synthesis of porphyrins

1. A method of making a porphyrin of Formula I:

wherein:

A and B are each independently H, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, cycloalkylalkenyl, cycloalkylalkynyl, aryl, arylalkyl, arylalkenyl, arylalkynyl, alkoxy, halo, mercapto, azido, cyano, hydroxyl, nitro, acyl, alkoxy, alkyhhio, amino, alkylamino, arylalkylamino, disubstituted amino, acylamino, acyloxy, amide, sulfonamide, urea, alkoxylacylamino, aminoacyloxy, hydrophilic groups, surface attachment groups, cross-coupling groups or bioconjugatable groups;

R 1 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and aryl;

R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , and R 10 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, halo, loweralkoxy, and loweralkylthio; and

M is a metal or a pair of hydrogen atoms;

said method comprising:

(a) condensing (i) a 1,9-bis(N,N-dialkylaminomethyl)dipyrromethane of Formula II:

wherein R a and R b are each independently selected loweralkyl and A, R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , and R 5 are as given above, with (ii) a dipyrromethane of Formula III:

wherein B, R 7 , R 8 , R 9 and R 10 are as given above

in an alcohol solvent containing a metal salt to produce a reaction product; and then

(b) oxidizing said reaction product with an oxidizing agent and then

(c) optionally demetallating said reaction product to produce the porphyrin of Formula I.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alcohol is selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, and isopropanol.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said metal salt is a zinc, palladium, copper, nickel or cobalt salt.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of DDQ, p-chloranil, and o-chloranil.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein A is a hydrophilic group, surface attachment group, cross-coupling group, or bioconjugatable group.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein A is an alkene, alkyne, alcohol, thiol, selenyl, phosphono, carboxylic acid, formyl, halo or amine group.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein B is a hydrophilic group, surface attachment group, cross-coupling group, or bioconjugatable group.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein B is an alkene, alkyne, alcohol, thiol, selenyl, phosphono, carboxylic acid, formyl, halo or amine group.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

A is a bioconjugatable group and B is a hydrophilic group; or

A is a hydrophilic group and B is a bioconjugatable group.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , and R 10 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H and halo.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , and R 10 are each H.