“…Therefore, we decided to concentrate our efforts on a simple one‐pot strategy that would involve the direct coupling of bipyrrolic fragments (Scheme ). Accordingly, several readily available substituted and unsubstituted bipyrroles were subjected to a wide range of potential coupling conditions, such as ones involving condensation of the bipyrrole with SCl 2 and subsequent sulfur extrusion of the putative thia‐bridged macrocyclic intermediates19 as well as various oxidative coupling procedures 13–15, 17, 18, 20–29. Among the latter were the Cr VI ‐based oxidative coupling method described by Falk and Flödl,23 which we have recently found useful in the synthesis of other expanded porphyrins,17, 18 and strategies based on the use of 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (DDQ) and chloranil—reagents that have been used to prepare a range of expanded13–15, 20–22 and contracted porphyrins 25–29.…”