A panchromatic pyrazine-fused porphyrin dimer

New pyrazine-fused porphyrin dimer was unexpectedly produced by mild oxidation of [2,3-diamino-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-butoxyphenyl)porphyrinato]nickel(ii) in 40% yield. The obtained porphyrin dimer demonstrates bathochromic shift of absorption bands compared to the reported analogues, along with panchromatic absorption in the 250-650 nm range, which is promising for optical, photovoltaic and medical applications.