Syntheses and properties of trimethylaminophenoxy-substituted Zn(ii)-phthalocyanines

Abstract

The syntheses, photophysical properties and in vitro biological behavior of a series of nine Zn(II)-phthalocyanines (ZnPcs) bearing one to eight positively-charged trimethylaminophenoxy groups are reported. All ZnPcs are highly soluble in polar organic solvents, and show fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yields in the ranges 0.11–0.21 and 0.16–0.47, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the ZnPcs depends on both the number of charges and their site of substitution (α vs. β) on the Pc isoindole units; the most promising for PDT application are the α-substituted di-cationic ZnPcs 6a and 17a.