Two functionalized phthalocyanine-based chromophore systems having two iodophthalocyaninatozinc(II) rings bound together through a butadiynyl linkage 1a,b have been synthesized by oxidative Eglinton coupling of the corresponding monomer, and fully characterized. The electronic characteristics of these extensively linearly pi-conjugated compounds were modulated by the introduction of different peripheral substituents into the phthalocyanine moieties and investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy. The reactivity of the two iodo substituents was explored to prepare a novel bisphthalocyanine containing two ethynylphenyl moieties, thus pointing out the possibility of incorporating other electro and/or photoactive moieties in the BisPc system, taking advantage of the iodo-functionalization.