In this paper, we describe the efficient and selective synthesis of aryldipyrromethanes in aqueous medium by acid-catalyzed (HCl) condensations of aromatic aldehydes with 3 equivalents of pyrrole at room temperature. The precipitated aryldipyrromethanes can be isolated directly from the reaction mixture in an essentially pure state by simple filtration. Time control seems to be essential to avoid significant formation of the tripyrromethane analogue and the reaction time is strongly dependent on the nature of the aromatic aldehyde. A one-pot synthesis of several aryldipyrromethenes and various novel meso-aryl-substituted trans-A 2 B-corroles was also achieved starting from the obtained aryldipyrromethanes. Trichloroacetic acid was the preferred acid catalyst for the preparation of meso-triarylcorroles from the condensation of 5-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)dipyrromethane with more reactive aldehydes, while trifluoroacetic acid was preferred for less reactive substrates.

The results of studies on the use of corrole derivatives as a host ligand in the PVC liquid membrane electrodes and their ability for the potentiometric high-throughput discrimination of nitrophenol guests have been presented. The significance of parameters which govern the mechanism of generation of potentiometric signals such as the attachment of substituents in the corrole structure, acidity and lipophilicity of the guests, and pH of the aqueous solutions has been discussed in details. Supramolecular recognition processes between corroles and para-nitrophenol molecules have been confirmed by independent NMR measurements.