Hello,

A bit more info will help me answer your question.

What kind of catalysis are you thinking about? Do you mean pyridine as a catalyst for making porpyrins? For metallation? For catalysis with Mporph compounds?

In terms of metallation, it could act as a base to put the metal in by helping deprotonate N-H's. In terms of catalysis, it can be an axial ligand on some metals, M(porphy)(py), which can modulate the reactivity of the metal.

Kyle

Supposedly the use of pyridine in the synthesis of porphyrins (non-metallation) would increase the yield of the reaction, but I have not found any literature.