The need for new chromophores with intense absorptions at the far red end or the near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum is evident from recent developments in materials science and medicinal chemistry. This has prompted us to explore the potential of octaalkynyl-substituted phthalocyanines, tetrapyrazinoporphyrazines, and tetra-6,7-quinoxalinoporphyrazines. In order to assemble these chromophores efficiently and in a modular fashion, we have prepared two types of acetylenic building blocks − namely 3,4-dimethylenehexa-1,5-diynes and hexa-1,5-diyne-3,4-diones − and have successfully converted them into alkynyl-substituted benzenoid phthalonitriles, the former by means of cycloaddi-