Porphine or porphin is an organic chemical compound with formula . The molecule, which is flat, consists of four

pyrrole Pyrrole is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound, a five-membered ring with the formula C4 H4 NH. It is a colorless volatile liquid that darkens readily upon exposure to air. Substituted derivatives are also called pyrroles, e.g., ''N''-meth ...

-like rings joined by four methine (= C H−) groups to form a larger macrocycle ring, which makes it the simplest of the tetrapyrroles. It is classified as an aromatic and heterocyclic compound. Porphine is only of theoretical interest. It has been detected in GC-MS of certain fractions of '' Piper betle''.

Porphine derivatives: porphyrins

Substituted derivatives of porphine are called porphyrins. Many porphyrins are found in nature with the dominant example being protoporphyrin IX. Many synthetic porphyrins are also known, including octaethylporphyrin and tetraphenylporphyrin. File:PPIXtransH.png, Derivatives of protoporphyrin IX are common in nature, the precursor to hemes. File:H2octaethylporphyrin.png , Octaethylporphyrin (H₂OEP) is a synthetic analogue of protoporphyrin IX. Unlike the natural porphyrin ligands, OEP²⁻ is highly symmetrical. File:H2TPP.png, Tetraphenylporphyrin (H₂TPP)is another synthetic analogue of protoporphyrin IX. Unlike the natural porphyrin ligands, TPP²⁻ is highly symmetrical. Another difference is that its methine centers are occupied by phenyl groups. Porphin resonance structures

References

{{reflist Biomolecules Chelating agents Macrocycles Tetrapyrroles

Porphine derivatives: porphyrins

Further reading

References