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 250–650nm range, which is promising for optical, photovoltaic and medical applications.