Methyl 3-acyl-pyropheophorbides-a were prepared by modification of naturally occurring chlorophyll-a through Grignard or Barbier reactions of the 3-formyl group and successive Ley–Griffith or Dess–Martin oxidations of the resulting secondary alcohols. The semi-synthetic 3-acyl-chlorins gave intense visible bands in dichloromethane and the absorption spectra were dependent on the 31-substituents. The larger π-conjugation of the 3-acyl group with the chlorin moiety shifted the visible absorption maxima to longer wavelengths.