Synthesis of mesogenic phthalocyanine-C60 donor-acceptor dyads designed for molecular heterojunction photovoltaic devices

A series of phthalocyanine-C₆₀ dyads 2a–d was synthesized. Key steps in their synthesis are preparation of the low symmetry phthalocyanine intermediate by the statistical condensation of two phthalonitriles, and the final esterification of the fullerene derivative bearing a free COOH group. Structural characterization of the molecules in solution was performed by NMR spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Preliminary studies suggest formation of liquid crystalline (LC) mesophases for some of the prepared dyads. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of LC phthalocyanine-C₆₀ dyads.

Effective Monofunctional Azaphthalocyanine Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy

In this work we present a rational design of the active part of third generation photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy based on phthalocyanine and an azaphthalocyanine core. The preferred zinc complexes of the AAAB type that contain bulky tert-butylsulfanyl substituents (A) and one carboxy group (B) have been synthesized by statistical condensation and fully characterized. The tetramerization was performed using magnesium(ii) butoxide followed by demetalation and insertion of ZnII. Compound 1 synthesized from 4,5-bis(tert-butylsulfanyl)phthalonitrile (A) and 2,3-dicyanoquinoxaline-6-carboxylic acid (B) exerted very promising photophysical properties (Q-band absorption at 726 nm, ϵ = 140000 M–1 cm–1), which allowed strong absorption of light at long wavelengths where the penetration of the light through human tissues is deeper. The very high singlet oxygen quantum yield of 1 (ΦΔ = 0.80) assures efficient photosensitization. As a result of bulky peripheral substituents, compound 1 shows good solubility in organic solvents with a low degree of aggregation, which makes it potentially viable for non-complicated modification. One carboxy group in the final structure of 1 allows simple binding to possible carriers. This compound is suitable for binding to targeting moieties to form the highly active part of a third-generation photosensitizer.

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Properties of Low-Symmetry Tribenzoporphyrazines with Annulated 6H-1,4-Diazepine Ring

Template co-condensation of 2,3-dicyano-5,7-diphenyl-6H-1,4-diazepine 1 with 10-fold molar excess of phthalodinitrile 2 in the presence of MgII propoxide or butoxide in the corresponding alcohol leads to a mixture of MgII-diazepinoporphyrazines 3–6 from which the low symmetry 3:1 species 3, which contains three annulated benzene and one 1,4-diazepine rings, is separated by column chromatography as the aquo complex, [2,4-diphenyltribenzo[b,g,l][1,4]diazepino[2,3-q]porphyrazinato(aquo)magnesium(ii)], [Bz3DzPzMg(H2O)]. The complex 3 can be demetalated in acetic or trifluoroacetic acids under mild conditions with formation of the corresponding free-base [Bz3DzPzH2] 3a. This latter is also formed by co-cyclotetramerization of the same precursors 1 and 2 in the presence of sodium ethoxide in ethanol or lithium butoxide in butanol followed by demetalation of the intermediate disodium or dilithium salts in acid medium. The constitution and structure of the obtained compounds were established on the basis of elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and 1H NMR spectra. The variable temperature 1H NMR measurements provide evidence that in porphyrazines 3 and 3a the 1,4-diazepine ring exists predominantly in the 6H-form over a wide temperature range. The free energy of activation for the inversion of the 1,4-diazepine ring determined for 3 is 45.6 ± 1.7 kJ mol–1. Solution UV-visible spectra measurements in acidic media (CH2Cl2/CF3COOH) provide evidence that the MgII complex 3 is easily protonated on the meso-N atom of the porphyrazine macrocycle followed by slow demetallation with formation of the free base 3a in its neutral form or as a species protonated on the diazepine ring.

Tetraazachlorin−Fullerene Conjugates: On−Off Control of Electronic Communication Enabled by Push−Pull Substituents

Novel tetraazachlorin (TAC)-fullerene (C60) conjugates (TAC-C60) and their analogues (TAiBC-C60 and TABC-C60 where TAiBC = tetraazaisobacteriochlorin and TABC = tetraazabacteriochlorin) have been synthesized by condensing 1,2-dicyanofullerene (1) and phthalonitrile derivatives (2) in the presence of nickel chloride in quinoline, and fully characterized using mass spectrometry and 1H and 13C NMR. By arranging the TAC and C60 units at the minimum distance, and taking also into account the molecular symmetry, the resultant conjugates show on-off electronic communication behavior, depending on the push-pull properties of the peripheral substituents in the TAC moiety. Consequently, the UV-vis absorption spectrum of the electron-releasing butyloxy-substituted TAC-C60 (3a) contains an unusual group of three absorption bands in the Q-band region (500-900 nm) as a result of a strong electronic communication between the two moieties. On the other hand, the absorption spectrum of the electron-withdrawing butylsulfonyl-substituted TAC-C60 (3b) comprises a typically normal TAC spectrum with markedly split two-peak Q-bands. A similar phenomenon is observed between alkoxy-substituted TAiBC-C60 (4a) and butylsulfonyl-substituted TAiBC-C60 (4b). This study reveals that the electron-donating or -withdrawing nature of the peripheral substituents on an azachlorin moiety has an important effect on the electronic structures of our novel azachlorin-C60 conjugates, although the linking carbon atoms are aliphatic sp3 carbon atoms which generally do not contribute to aromaticity. The electronic structures of the conjugates have been investigated in detail using spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques with the aid of DFT calculations.

Unsymmetrical NiII–Imidoylamidine Complexes Derived from a Novel Oxime-Mediated Single-Pot Reaction of Nitriles

The neutral bisimidoylamidine (or 1,3,5-triazapentadiene) Ni(II) complexes [Ni{HN=C(R)N=C(C(6)H(4)CO)N}(2)] {R=Me, Et, nPr, iPr, (CH(2))(3)Cl}, bearing an iminoisoindolinone moiety, have been generated by a novel 2-propanone oxime-mediated single-pot reaction of phthalonitrile and nickel(II) acetate in solution of the corresponding alkylnitrile (RCN). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicate a square-planar geometry of the imidoylamidine core. The synthesised compounds represent rare specimens of genuine unsymmetrical imidoylamidine complexes as well as their first examples generated from nitriles in a single-pot reaction.

Optical-Limiting and Photophysical Properties of Two Soluble Chloroindium Phthalocyanines with α- and β-Alkoxyl Substituents

Two soluble heavy-metal phthalocyanine derivatives, namely, tetra-alpha-(2-ethylbutoxy) chloroindium phthalocyanine (alpha-InPcCl) and tetra-beta-(2-ethylbutoxy) chloroindium phthalocyanine (beta-InPcCl), were synthesized. Their optical-limiting properties in THF solution were investigated with a 532 nm nanosecond laser. The differences in the optical-limiting properties are attributed to their different photophysical properties. alpha-InPcCl is superior to beta-InPcCl as optical-limiting material, alpha substitution could be a useful factor to be considered in designing optical limiting materials based on metal phthalocyanines.

Tuning Photoinduced Energy- and Electron-Transfer Events in Subphthalocyanine-Phthalocyanine Dyads

A series of subphthalocyanine-phthalocyanine dyads has been prepared by means of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions between a monoalkynylphthalocyanine and different monoiodosubphthalocyanines. Electronic coupling between the two photoactive units is ensured by a rigid and pi-conjugated alkynyl spacer. In addition, the electronic characteristics of the subphthalocyanine moiety were modulated by the introduction of different peripheral substituents. Cyclic and Osteryoung square-wave voltammetry experiments revealed that the reduction potential of this subunit can be decreased by about 400 mV on going from thioether or no substituents to nitro groups. As a consequence, the energy level of the charge-transfer state could be fine-tuned so as to gain control over the fate of the photoexcitation energy in each subunit. The diverse steady-state and time-resolved photophysical techniques employed demonstrated that, when the charge-transfer state lies high in energy, a quantitative singlet-singlet energy-transfer mechanism from the excited subphthalocyanine to the phthalocyanine takes place. On the contrary, stabilization of the radical pair by lowering the redox gap between electron donor and acceptor results in a highly efficient photoinduced electron-transfer process, even in solvents of low polarity such as toluene (Phi(ET) approximately 0.9). These features, together with the extraordinary absorptive cross section that these molecular ensembles display across the whole UV/Vis spectrum, make them model candidates for application in situations where broadband light sources are needed.

Novel Efficient Preparative Method for Phthalocyanines from Phthalimides and Phthalic Anhydride with HMDS

A convenient synthesis of peripherally substituted or unsubstituted phthalocyanines having a variety of metals is described. Phthalocyanines can be obtained by heating phthalimides or phthalic anhydride with metal salts, hexamethyldisilazane, a catalytic amount of p-TsOH, and DMF at 150 degrees C.

Mono-aromatic ring-fused versus adjacently di-aromatic ring-fused tetraazaporphyrins: regioselective synthesis and their spectroscopic and electrochemical properties

A method which preferentially produces adjacently di-aromatic ring-substituted tetraazaporphyrins (TAPs) has been developed, and their electrochemical and spectroscopic properties have been studied and compared with those of the corresponding series of mono-aromatic ring-fused TAPs. Mono-aromatic ring-fused TAPs show a split Q-band, and the splitting energy increases with increasing size of the aromatic ring. In addition, for the split Q-bands, the relative intensity of the band at longer wavelength decreases with increasing molecular size of the fused aromatics, compared with the shorter wavelength band. In the di-aromatic ring-fused TAPs, this kind of splitting is not seen, and only a shift of the band is observed. The intensity and band position of the split or unsplit Q-bands are quantitatively evaluated by simultaneous band deconvolution analysis, using both electronic absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectra. The preparation of these TAP compounds has made it possible to adjust the Q-band position in a stepwise manner between ca. 600 and 750 nm. The first reduction and oxidation potentials of the TAP ring shift negatively with increasing number and size of the fused aromatics. The extent of the shift is found to be very small for the LUMOs but significant for the HOMOs. These spectroscopic and electrochemical properties are almost perfectly reproduced by molecular orbital calculations within the framework of the Pariser-Parr-Pople approximation. In particular, a small variation of the LUMO level and large destabilization of the HOMO level on ring expansion are rationalized from the extent of stretch of molecular orbitals: i.e., since the LUMOs are localized in the central TAP moiety irrespective of the molecular size, while the HOMOs have appreciable coefficients even over the fused aromatics, the HOMO level destabilizes while the LUMO level remains constant with increasing molecular size. In one CoTAP derivative, Co(III/II) and the first ligand oxidation couples occur experimentally at the same potential.