A convenient method for the preparation of very attractive and almost unknown lutetium(III)–porphyrins was developed. Systematic investigations involving a broad spectrum of solvents (DMF, TCB, imidazole, sulfolane, and a CHCl3/MeOH mixture), as well as studies concerning the influence of temperature and the reaction time on the yield, were performed. Under the optimized experimental conditions found within the study for [5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato]lutetium(III) chloride (sulfolane, reflux, 0.5 h; 88% yield), the synthesis of some other more complex derivatives was demonstrated.
