Two A 2 B type free base corroles with meso-borneol substituents at the B position have been synthesized and characterized. A detailed analysis of the optical and redox properties was carried out, and a comparison was made with theoretical calculations to identify the key trends in the structure-property relationships. The meso-borneol substituent couples strongly with the porphyrin core leading to significant CD signals in the B band region. Enhanced anti-cancer properties are observed in vitro relative to the introduction of (-)-borneol units.