“…Phlorins are nonaromatic isomers of chlorins and are produced after reduction or addition of nucleophiles to the porphyrins macrocycle. − The stability of most phlorins is limited. Only in a few favorable cases, when stabilized by steric hindrance, ring deformation, or complexation by high valent metals, can these compounds be isolated in a pure state. − The general decomposition process is a simple oxidation to the parent porphyrin, but the irreversible meso addition of a carbon nucleophile, viz., an alkyl group, does not allow this reaction to proceed. We isolated such a phlorin ( 1 ) by addition of n -butyllithium to meso -tetraphenylporphyrin, and although highly unstable toward oxidation, it could be fully characterized.…”