A trifunctional porphyrin host ~cis-5,15-bis(8-quinolyl)porphyrinatoIzinc 1 exhibits a marked affinity for octyl p-o-glucopyranoside 12 in CHC13 with an association constant of 41 400 dm3 mol-1; solvent effects on the binding are compared with those for [cis-5,15-bis(2,7-dihydroxy-1-naphthyl)porphyrinato]zinc 3.