A first aspect of the invention is a method of making a porphyrin-metal complex, comprising: (a) providing a first reagent selected from the group consisting of 1-acyldipyrromethanes, 1-acyldipyrrins, dipyrromethane-1-carbinols 1,9-diacyldipyrromethanes and 1,9-diacyldipyrrins; and then (b) condensing the first reagent with either itself (in the case of 1-acyldipyrromethanes, 1-acyldipyrrins, and dipyrromethane-1-carbinols) or a dipyrromethane (in the case of 1,9-diacyldipyrromethanes and 1,9-diacyldipyrrins) in a reaction mixture comprising a solvent and a second reagent selected from the group consisting of palladium and copper complexes to produce the porphyrin-metal complex (with the metal being palladium or copper). In preferred embodiments of the foregoing, the reaction mixture further comprises a base such as KOH or NaH.