Evidence that gold(III) porphyrins are not electrochemically inert: facile generation of gold(II) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrin.

Gold(III) porphyrin 1 is shown to undergo reduction at the central metal ion to give the first known gold(II) porphyrin overturning the long held assumption that reduction of such complexes only occurs at the macrocycle.