Facile Synthesis of Self-aggregative Zinc Bacteriochlorins by Modifying Naturally Occurring Chlorophyll-a

We prepared zinc 7,8-cis-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-131-oxo-bacteriochlorin 1 by modifying naturally occurring chlorophyll-a and examined its self-aggregation mimicking self-aggregates of natural bacteriochlorophylls-c/d/e in the main light-harvesting antenna system of green photosynthetic bacteria. Bacteriochlorin 1 has interactive hydroxy groups not only at the 31-position but also at the 7,8-positions, and the latter two hydroxy groups did not disturb its self-aggregation process.