Nitrogen oxides generated from the combustion of fossil fuels contribute to ground level ozone formation and acid rain deposition. To minimize emissions the robust sensor technologies required. Solid-state electrochemical NOx and NH 3 sensors evaluated in this study showed significant cross-interference issues. In contrast, the semiconductor nanowires of Cu and Pb Pthtalocyanine and CdS thin films functionalized with Fe and Mn Porphyrines (Ph) exhibited negligible cross-interferences. The computational molecular modeling was utilized to analyze equilibrium structures and binding energies of O 2 , CO, NO, NH 3 , and these were shown to control the selectivity. The FePh exhibited the highest selectivity for NO (-190 kJ/mol), while MnPh was most selective to NH 3 (-46.7 kJ/mol). The binding energies of gas molecules to the hybrid Ph-CdS system were approximately 30 kJ/mol greater than binding to the Ph alone. Therefore, the semiconductor surface buried under the Ph layer enhanced sensitivity, but it did not alter the selectivity.