Catalytic effects of various cobalt phenylporphyrin compounds on the reduction of thionyl chloride at glassy carbon electrode have been evaluated by determining kinetic parameters with cyclic voltammetric techniques. The concentration of catalysts and the electrode immersion time have been found to affect the catalyst performance strongly, leading to a conclusion that the compounds are first adsorbed at the electrode surface and act as catalysts. Significant improvements in cell performance have been noted in terms of both exchange rate constants of up to 3 times and current densities of up to 150% at glassy carbon electrode.