Metal-mediated self-assembly of tetrapyridyl porphyrins by Na+ ions

In the presence of the sodium salt of a bulky anion, which allows the solubility of Na+ in low polarity solvents, various tetra((4-pyridyl)porphyrin derivatives can spontaneously self-assemble from CH2Cl2 into supramolecular nanostructures exhibiting a long-range order, through the coordination of Na+ ions by the pyridyl moieties at the macrocycle periphery.