A mild conversion from 3-vinyl- to 3-formyl-chlorophyll derivatives.

The C3-vinyl group of a chlorophyll derivative, methyl pyropheophorbide-a, was converted into the formyl group by a novel one-pot reaction with thiophenol at room temperature. The mild reaction can provide insight into development of 'green' catalysts displacing OsO(4) or O(3), and into elucidation of unknown biosynthetic processes of chlorophyll-d.