Synthessis of Porphyrins
About:Porphyrins are organic compounds that play an important role in a multitude of biological processes in both animals and plants. Reseachers at the University of Tennessee have discovered new porphyrin compounds and new methods of synthesis used to make these novel compounds. These discoveries provide advances in porphyrin chemistry for, in particular, heteroatom-substituted porphyrins (porphyrins surrounded by multiple atoms of different substances) and metalloporphyrins (porphyrins combined with metal ions). These compounds can be used in a variety of applications including, but not limited to, photodynamic therapy, electron transfer, DNA strand cleavage, carriers of cytotoxic anticancer drugs, components of synthetic receptors and oxidation catalysts.
