The debatable role of singlet oxygen in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) attracts much attention in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (PS-AOPs), because of its wide pH tolerance and high selectivity toward electron-rich organics. However, there are conflicts about the ¹O₂ role in PS-AOPs on several aspects, including the formation of different key reactive oxygen species (ROS) at similar active sites, pH dependence, broad-spectrum activity, and selectivity in the elimination of organic pollutants. To a large degree, these conflicts root in the drawbacks of the methods to identify and evaluate the role of ¹O₂. For example, the quenchers of ¹O₂ have high reactivity to other ROS and persulfate as well. In addition, electron transfer process (ETP) also selectively oxidizes organics, having a misleading effect on the identification of ¹O₂. Therefore, in this review, we summarized and discussed some basic properties of ¹O₂, the debatable role of ¹O₂ in PS-AOPs on multiple aspects, and the methods and their drawbacks to identify and evaluate the role of ¹O₂. On the whole, this review aims to better understand the role of ¹O₂ in PS-AOPs and further help with its reasonable utilization.

Singlet Oxygen Generation Driven by Sulfide Ligand Exchange on Porphyrin-Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates

Here, we report a switching method of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation based on the adsorption/desorption of porphyrins to gold nanoparticles driven by sulfide (thiol or disulfide) compounds. The generation of ¹O₂ by photosensitization is effectively suppressed by the gold nanoparticles and can be restored by a sulfide ligand exchange reaction. The on/off ratio of ¹O₂ quantum yield (Φ_Δ) reached 7.4. By examining various incoming sulfide compounds, it was found that the ligand exchange reaction on the gold nanoparticle surface could be thermodynamically or kinetically controlled. The remaining gold nanoparticles in the system still suppress the generation of ¹O₂, which can be precipitated out simultaneously with porphyrin desorption by the proper polarity choice of the incoming sulfide to restore the ¹O₂ generation.

Porphyrins as ligands for 64copper: background and trends

Porphyrins and 64Cu have emerged as a novel synergic option for applications in PET molecular imaging. Both the characteristics and photophysical properties of macrocyclic porphyrins and the relatively long half-life of the copper isotope, in addition to the increased tumor-specific uptake of porphyrins compared to normal cells, make this complex an attractive option not only for diagnosis but also for therapeutic applications. Herein, we present an overview of the latest results on the development of PET agents based on porphyrins and 64Cu, including methods used to improve the selectivity of these macrocycles when conjugated with biological units such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides or proteins.

Superior performance of macroporous over gel type polystyrene as a support for the development of photo-bactericidal materials

Macroporous polystyrene resins are best suited than gel-type polymers to develop supported photosensitizers for the generation of bactericidal singlet oxygen.

Materials for selective photo-oxygenation vs. photocatalysis: preparation, properties and applications in environmental and health fields

Photosensitizing materials made of organic dyes embedded in various supports are compared to usual supported TiO₂-based photocatalysts.

A photobleaching resistant polymer supported hexanuclear molybdenum iodide cluster for photocatalytic oxygenations and photodynamic inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus

Photoinactivation of Staphylococcus aureus has been achieved using a hexanuclear molybdenum cluster, [Mo₆I₈(CH₃COO)₆]²⁻, supported on a polystyrene matrix.

Time-resolved insight into the photosensitized generation of singlet oxygen in endoperoxides

A synergistic approach combining high-level multiconfigurational static calculations and full-dimensional ab initio surface hopping dynamics has been employed to gain insight into the photochemistry of endoperoxides. Electronic excitation of endoperoxides triggers two competing pathways, cycloreversion and O–O homolysis, that result in the generation of singlet oxygen and oxygen diradical rearrangement products. Our results reveal that cycloreversion or the rupture of the two C–O bonds occurs via an asynchronous mechanism that can lead to the population of a ground-state intermediate showing a single C–O bond. Furthermore, singlet oxygen is directly generated in its most stable excited electronic state 1Δg. The triplet states do not intervene in this mechanism, as opposed to the O–O homolysis where the exchange of population between the singlet and triplet manifolds is remarkable. In line with recent experiments performed on the larger anthracene-9,10-endoperoxide, upon excitation to the spectroscopic ππ* electronic states, the primary photoreactive pathway that governs deactivation of endoperoxides is O–O homolysis with a quantum yield of 65%.

Reactions of oxonium derivatives of (B12H12)2- with phenoles, and synthesis and photochemical properties of a phthalocyanine containing four (B12H12)2- groups

The reactions of dodecahydro-closo-dodecaborate oxonium derivatives with various phenols resulted in phenoxy-undecahydro-closo-dodecaborates in high yields. Using this method, a phthalocyanine zinc(II) complex containing four ( B 12 H 12)2- species was prepared in high yield. The compound shows good photocatalytic activity. The combination of boron cages and phthalocyanines makes this compound useful for boron neutron capture therapy for cancer and photodynamic tumor therapy.

Synthesis of new carboran-based phthalocyanines and study of their activities in the photooxidation of citronellol

The synthesis and characterization of novel phthalocyanines containing o-carborane groups are described. These new tetrasubstituted phthalocyanines are of interest for the use in cancer therapy. The activities of the carboranyl substituted phthalocyanines were evaluated by the photooxidation of (S)-(−)-citronellol to give a high oxygen consumption comparable to the photosensitizers tetrasulfophthalocyanine zinc complexes.

Sweet chiral porphyrins as singlet oxygen sensitizers for asymmetric Type II photooxygenation

Carbohydrate-decorated meso-tetraarylporphyrins P-G and P-C were synthesized via Lewis-acid catalyzed condensation of acetylated carbohydrate-substituted benzaldehydes and pyrrole. Their efficiency of singlet oxygen production was compared with the corresponding non-substituted porphyrin. The oxidation of the spin trap molecule TEMP (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone) by singlet oxygen to TEMPO was measured by ESR spectroscopy, showing higher reaction rates for the sugar porphyrins. These results were corroborate by laser flash photolysis measurements that resulted in higher triplet lifetimes of glucosyl- and cellobiosyl porphyrins in comparison with tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin. Low ee was detected in the photooxygenation of ethyl tiglate.

Stereoselectivity in ene reactions with 1O2: matrix effects in polymer supports, photo-oxygenation of organic salts and asymmetric synthesis

The ene reaction of chiral allylic alcohols is applied as a tool for the investigation of intrapolymer effects by means of the stereoselectivity of the singlet-oxygen addition. The diastereo selectivity strongly depends on the structure of the polymer, the substrate loading degree and also on the degree of conversion demonstrating additional supramolecular effects evolving during the reaction. The efficiency and the stability of polymer-bound sensitizers were evaluated by the ene reaction of singlet oxygen with citronellol. The ene reaction with chiral ammonium salts of tiglic acid was conducted under solution phase conditions or in polystyrene beads under chiral contact ion-pair conditions. The products thus obtained precipitate during the photoreaction as ammonium salts. Moderate asymmetric induction was observed for this procedure for the first time.

Phthalocyanines: old dyes, new materials. Putting color in nanotechnology

Phthalocyanines are versatile building blocks for fabricating materials at the nanometer scale. These colored macrocycles exhibit fascinating physical properties which arise from their delocalized pi-electronic structure. This article describes why these molecules are targets for different scientific purposes and technological applications.

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of Annulated Dinuclear and Trinuclear Phthalocyanines

Metal-free mononuclear, dinuclear and trinuclear phthalocyanines were prepared by a mixed cyclotetramerisation of a 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene derivative and 4,5-bis(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)phthalonitrile. For the first time, a pi-electron-conjugated trinuclear phthalocyanine was synthesised with phthalocyanine units connected by common annulated benzene rings. The Q band of the trinuclear compound in solution occurs at lambda = 944 nm whereas those of the dinuclear and mononuclear compounds are at lambda = 853/830 and 701/664 nm, respectively. Fluorescence quantum yields, fluorescence lifetimes and singlet-oxygen quantum yields of the compounds were determined.

Porphyrin-Functionalized Dendrimers: Synthesis and Application as Recyclable Photocatalysts in a Nanofiltration Membrane Reactor

The convergent synthesis of a series of porphyrin-functionalized pyrimidine dendrimers has been accomplished by a procedure involving the nucleophilic aromatic substitution (NAS) as a key reaction step. The resulting dendritic porphyrin catalysts show high activity in the light-induced generation of singlet oxygen ((1)O2) from ground-state oxygen. These materials are synthetically useful photosensitizers for the oxidation of various olefinic compounds to the corresponding allylic hydroperoxides. Catalytic activities and regio- and stereoselectivities of the dendritic photosensitizers are comparable to those observed for mononuclear porphyrin catalysts. Recycling of the dendrimer-enlarged homogeneous photocatalysts was possible by solvent-resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) by using an oxidatively stable membrane consisting of a polysiloxane polymer and ultrastable Y zeolite as inorganic filler. Moreover, this membrane technology provides a safe way to isolate the hydroperoxide products under very mild conditions. The membrane showed high retention for the macromolecular catalysts, even in chlorinated solvents, but some oxidative degradation of the porphyrin units of the dendrimer was observed over multiple catalytic runs.

Solvent-free photooxygenation of 5-methoxyoxazoles in polystyrene nanocontainers doped with tetrastyrylporphyrine and protoporphyrine-IX

A solvent-free route for the photooxygenation of the 5-methoxyoxazoles (1) is described. The substrates were embedded in nanosized polystyrene particles generated by the emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of styrene with divinylbenzene and porphyrine dyes as cross-polymerizable reagents. From the photooxygenation of , the 1,2,4-dioxazoles (2) were formed and isolated from the reaction cavities by ethanol extraction. From comparison of the substrate conversions, the efficiency of singlet oxygen generation from the porphyrine dyestuff and the stability of the sensitizing material were estimated.