Aluminum and lithium octa(pentoxy)phthalocyanine radicals

A lithium phthalocyanine radical and the analogous aluminum phthalocyanine radical were synthesized as part of an investigation of isostructural dopants. An improved synthesis of the free base of octa(pentoxy)phthalocyanine (H₂Pc*) involves the reduction of 1,2-dicyano-4,5-dipentoxybenzene with hydroquinone. Deprotonation with lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide leads to the dilithium derivative Li₂Pc* and subsequent oxidation with ferrocenium yields the radical LiPc*. Treatment of H₂Pc* with Et₂AlCl gives ClAlPc* and reduction with sodium amalgam yields AlPc*, the first reported aluminum phthalocyanine radical. In the solid state LiPc* and AlPc* are electrical conductors with pressed-pellet conductivities of 8 × 10⁻¹¹ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and 5 × 10⁻⁷ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹, respectively.     

Cross-sensitive chemical sensors based on tetraphenylporphyrin and phthalocyanine

The properties of solvent polymeric membrane sensors based on 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) and phthalocyanine (PHC) have been investigated. The sensitivity and selectivity of sensors towards wide range of mono- and di-valent cations have been measured. The selectivity towards the transition metal ions for TPP-based sensor does not correspond to the cation lipophilicity sequence. The dependence of response on pH was studied. The cross-sensitivity parameters, including average response slope, signal-to-noise ratio and “non-selectivity” factor for all sensors were calculated and compared. The influence of plasticizer and ionic additive on the response of sensors was characterized using principal component analysis (PCA).     

Excited state dynamics of zinc and aluminum phthalocyanine carboxylates

Photophysical parameters for zinc and aluminium tetracarboxylphthalocyanines (ZnTCPc and AlTCPc, respectively) and their octacarboxy substituted counterparts (ZnOCPc and AlOCPc) were studied. Data for the fluorescence quenching of the complexes by benzoquinone (BQ) were treated using the Stern-Volmer analysis, and the quenching was found to follow a diffusion-controlled (dynamic) bimolecular mechanism. Theoretical values of bimolecular rate constant for complex-BQ interactions were determined using the Stokes-Einstein-Smoluchowski model; and the values, together with the Stern-Volmer quenching constants were used in calculating the fluorescence lifetimes of the complexes. The thermodynamics of the MPc-BQ interaction, in terms of solvent reorientation energy is also discussed.     

Chemiluminescent detection of neutral gaseous radicals

This paper presents a systematic approach to the development of novel solid-state chemical sensors on the basis of heterogeneous chemiluminescence. The method is applicable for the identification and measurements of concentration of H, O, and other gaseous chemical radicals, where utilization of standard techniques is difficult. The luminescence is invoked during Eley-Rideal recombination of the radicals in question on the surface of the sensor core. A technique is discussed to separate the contributions of Eley-Rideal and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanisms, and to select appropriate materials for the sensor emitter fabrication. Typical sensor characteristics include sensitivity of 10(5) cm(-3), working gas pressures of 10(-8) - 10(1) Torr, and measurement time approximately 1 s.     

Semiquinone-bridged bisdithiazolyl radicals as neutral radical conductors

Semiquinone-bridged bisdithiazolyls 3 represent a new class of resonance-stabilized neutral radical for use in the design of single-component conductive materials. As such, they display electrochemical cell potentials lower than those of related pyridine-bridged bisdithiazolyls, a finding which heralds a reduced on-site Coulomb repulsion U. Crystallographic characterization of the chloro-substituted derivative 3a and its acetonitrile solvate 3a·MeCN, both of which crystallize in the polar orthorhombic space group Pna2(1), revealed the importance of intermolecular oxygen-to-sulfur (CO···SN) interactions in generating rigid, tightly packed radical π-stacks, including the structural motif found for 3a·MeCN in which radicals in neighboring π-stacks are locked into slipped-ribbon-like arrays. This architecture gives rise to strong intra- and interstack overlap and hence a large electronic bandwidth W. Variable-temperature conductivity measurements on 3a and 3a·MeCN indicated high values of σ(300 K) (>10(-3) S cm(-1)) with correspondingly low thermal activation energies E(act), reaching 0.11 eV in the case of 3a·MeCN. Overall, the strong performance of these materials as f = ? conductors is attributed to a combination of low U and large W. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed on both 3a and 3a·MeCN. The unsolvated material 3a orders as a spin-canted antiferromagnet at 8 K, with a canting angle φ = 0.14° and a coercive field H(c) = 80 Oe at 2 K.     

Stable spirocyclic neutral radicals: aluminium and gallium boraamidinates

Stable dark red (M = Al) or dark green (M = Ga) neutral radicals {[PhB(mu-NtBu)2]2M} are obtained by the oxidation of their corresponding anions with iodine, and EPR spectra supported by DFT calculations show that the spin density is equally delocalized over all four nitrogen atoms in these spiroconjugated systems.     

Preparation and characterization of aluminum phthalocyanine acetate, propionate, and benzoate

Aluminum phthalocyanine acetate, propionate and benzoate were prepared by the reaction of hydroxy aluminum phthalocyanine and the corresponding acetic, propionic, and benzoic anhydrides. The reaction products were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The thermal behavior of the products was determined by thermal analysis of particular samples.     

Geometric factor in prototropic reactions of neutral and charged radicals

Conclusions The difference between the rate constants of thermodynamically favorable proton-transfer reactions between NH- and OH-containing radicals and heterocyclic bases and those diffusion-controlled reactions is due to the reactivity anisotropy of the reagents.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 31–34, January, 1989.     

Aluminum phthalocyanine: an active and simple catalyst for cyanosilylation of aldehydes

Aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPc) in the presence of Ph₃PO acts as a highly effective catalyst for cyanosilylation of various aldehydes to the corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilyl ethers. The reaction proceeds smoothly with 5 mol% catalyst loading at room temperature, giving up to 96% yield. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vaporization of aluminum oxide in neutral and reductive conditions

High-temperature mass spectrometry was used to study vaporization of aluminum oxide in neutral and reductive (carbon-containing medium) conditions. The reduction of Al₂O₃ with carbon occurs primarily through the gas phase.     

The effect of pH on the photophysics and photochemistry of disulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine

The results of a study of the effect of pH on the photophysics and photochemistry of di-sulphonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPcS₂) in aqueous solution are presented. The pH dependence of the triplet quantum yield, fluorescence quantum yield, singlet-oxygen quantum yield, triplet lifetime, fluorescence lifetime and apparent dimerization constants is investigated and the results interpreted in terms of the pH dependence of the nature of the axial ligands. Evidence that the aluminum–axial ligand bond strength, rather than dimer binding energy that determines the extent of dimerization is provided by semi-empirical and ab initio calculations. Possible dimer structures obtained using ab initio calculations are discussed.     

Evolution of spins in ultrastable triplet radical pair formed by magnesium phthalocyanine cation and verdazyl radicals

Quenching of the triplet state of magnesium tetra-4-tert-butylphthalocyanine by verdazylium cations, and also quenching of the methoxy and nitro derivatives, have been investigated by pulse photolysis in propylene carbonate at room temperature. The quenching process is related to transfer of an electron from the excited pigment to the cation and the formation of an unusually stable, energy-intensive triplet radical pair that includes a stable cation radical of the phthalocyanine and a free verdazyl radical. The lifetime of the radical pair (10^–3 sec) depends on the nature of the substituents in the verdazyl and is determined by the rate of triplet-singlet evolution of spins in the pair. The reaction mechanism is examined critically in this article, as well as the possible structure of the pair.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 148–152, March–April, 1992.     

Electrochemistry of aluminum phthalocyanine: solvent and anion effects on UV-visible spectra and reduction mechanisms

The electrochemistry and UV-vis spectral properties of neutral and electroreduced Al(III) phthalocyanine, (Pc)AlCl, were characterized in four different nonaqueous solvents (THF, DMSO, DMF, and pyridine) containing tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate, as well as in THF containing 0.4 M TBAP and the more strongly coordinating Cl-, F-, OH-, or CN- anions added to solution in the form of a tetra-n-butylammonium salt. The initial phthalocyanine added to solution is represented as (Pc)AlCl, but the actual electroactive form of the compound varied as a function of both the solvent and type or number of bound anionic axial ligands. An uncharged (Pc)AlCl(THF) or (Pc)Al(CN)(THF) complex is present in THF solutions containing 0.4 M TBAP and excess Cl- or CN-, while transient mu-oxo dimers are spectroscopically observed upon addition of OH- or F- to (Pc)AlCl(THF) in THF followed by the ultimate formation of stable six-coordinate anionic species represented as [(Pc)Al(OH)2]- or [(Pc)AlF2]-. Each phthalocyanine undergoes three reversible one-electron additions at the conjugated Pc macrocycle within the negative potential limit of the solvent, and the UV-vis spectral changes obtained during the first two reductions were recorded in a thin-layer cell to evaluate the prevailing electron-transfer mechanisms.     

Cyclopropylcarbinyl-type ring openings. Reconciling the chemistry of neutral radicals and radical anions

Cyclopropylcarbinyl --> homoallyl and related rearrangements of radical ions (a) are frequently used as mechanistic "probes" to detect the occurrence of single electron transfer in chemical and biochemical processes, (b) provide the basis for mechanism-based drug design, and (c) are important tools in organic synthesis. Unfortunately, these rearrangements are poorly understood, especially with respect to the effect of substrate structure on reactivity. Frequently, researchers assume that the same factors which govern the reactivity of neutral free radicals also pertain to radical ions. The results reported herein demonstrate that in some cases structure-reactivity trends in radical ion rearrangements are very different from neutral radicals. For radical ions, delocalizations of both charge and spin are important factors governing their reactivity.     

Plasma membrane properties involved in the photodynamic efficacy of merocyanine 540 and tetrasulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine

Merocyanine 540 (MC540)-mediated photodynamic damage to erythrocytes was strongly reduced when illumination was performed at pH 8.5 as compared to pH 7.4. This could be explained by high pH-mediated hyperpolarization of the erythrocyte membrane, resulting in decreased MC540 binding at pH 8.5. In accordance, the MC540-mediated photooxidation of open ghosts was not inhibited at pH 8.5. Photoinactivation of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was not inhibited at pH 8.5. This suggests that illumination at increased pH could be an approach to protect red blood cells selectively against MC540-mediated virucidal phototreatment. With tetrasulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine (AIPcS4) as photosensitizer, damage to erythrocytes, open ghosts and VSV was decreased when illuminated at pH 8.5. A decreased singlet oxygen yield at high pH could be excluded. The AIPcS4-mediated photooxidation of fixed erythrocytes was strongly dependent on the cation concentration in the buffer, indicating that the surface potential may affect the efficacy of this photosensitizer. This study showed that altering the environment of the target could increase both the efficacy and the specificity of a photodynamic treatment.     

Geometric and electronic structures of phenoxyl radicals hydrogen bonded to neutral and cationic partners

Two di-tert-butylphenols incorporating an N-methylbenzimidazole moiety in the ortho or para position have been synthesised ((Me)OH and (pMe)OH, respectively). Their X-ray structures evidence a hydrogen bond between the phenolic proton and the iminic nitrogen atom, whose nature is intra- and intermolecular, respectively. The present studies demonstrate that (Me)OH is readily oxidised by an intramolecular PET mechanism to form the hydrogen-bonded phenoxyl-N-methylbenzimidazolium system ((Me)OH)(.+) , whereas oxidation of (pMe)OH occurs by intermolecular PET, affording the neutral phenoxyl benzimidazole ((pMe)O)(.) system. The deprotonations of (Me)OH and (pMe)OH yield the corresponding phenolate species ((Me)O)(-) and ((pMe)O)(-), respectively, whilst that of the previously reported (H)OH (analogous to (Me)OH but lacking the N-methyl group) produces an unprecedented hydrogen-bonded phenol benzimidazolate species, as evidenced by its X-ray structure. The latter is believed to be in equilibrium in solution with its tautomeric phenolate form, as suggested by NMR, electrochemistry and DFT studies. The one-electron oxidations of the anions occur by a simple ET process affording phenoxyl radical species, whose electronic structure has been studied by HF-EPR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. In particular, analysis of the g(1) tensor shows the order 2.0079>2.0072>2.0069>2.0067 for ((Me)O)(.), ((H)O)(.), ((Me)OH)(.+) and ((H)OH)(.+), respectively. ((Me)O)(.) exhibits the largest g(1) tensor (2.0079), consistent with the absence of intramolecular hydrogen bond. The g(1) tensor of ((H)O)(.) is intermediate between those of ((Me)OH)(.+) and ((Me)O)(.) (g(1)=2.0072), indicating that the phenoxyl oxygen is hydrogen-bonded with a neutral benzimidazole partner.     

High-efficiency polymer light-emitting diodes using neutral surfactant modified aluminum cathode

High-efficiency polymer light-emitting diodes were fabricated by inserting a layer of nonionic neutral surfactant between the electroluminescent (EL) layer and the high-work-function aluminum cathode via spin coating. It was found that both the poly(ethylene glycol)- and poly(propylene glycol)-based surfactants as well as their copolymers can all demonstrate similar performance enhancement. Device performances comparable to or even better than those of the control devices using calcium as the cathode have been achieved for both poly(p-phenylene)-based and polyfluorene-based conjugated polymers with orange-red, green, and blue emission colors. It is possible that when both surfactant and aluminum are used as the cathode, the abundant hole injection through a hole-transporting layer and hole pile-up at the inner side of the EL/surfactant interface might cause an effective electric field to induce the realignment of the dipole moment of those polar surfactant molecules, thus lowering the barrier for electron injection. In addition, the coordination between the aluminum and oxygen atoms on the surfactant might cause n-type doping in the areas near surfactant in the EL polymer layer that causes the enhancement of electron injection.     

Studies on the radiolytically produced transients of neutral red: triplet and reduced radicals

The spectral and kinetic properties of reduced radicals and the triplet state of neutral red (NR), a phenazine-based dye, have been investigated using pulse radiolysis technique. A mixed water-isopropanol-acetone solvent has been used to study the reduced radicals of NR for a wide pH range of about 1-13, due to limitation of solubility of the dye in aqueous solutions particularly above pH 8. From pH-dependent absorption studies it has been established that the reduced radicals of NR can exist in four different prototropic forms in solution. Three pKa values for the corresponding prototropic equilibria have been estimated. The formation and decay rate constants of reduced radicals have also been measured. The triplet state characteristics of the dye have been investigated in neat benzene solutions, both in the presence and in the absence of triplet sensitizers. The T1-->Tn absorption spectrum and decay kinetics of the triplet state have been measured. The triplet state energy (ET) of NR in benzene have been estimated to be within 36-42 kcal mol-1, using an energy transfer method.     

Determination of nucleic acids based on shifting the association equilibrium between tetracarboxy aluminum phthalocyanine and poly-lysine

A new method based on near-infrared (near-IR) fluorescence recovery was presented for the determination of nucleic acids. This method employed a two-reagent system composed of anionic tetracarboxy aluminum phthalocyanine (AlC4Pc) and polycationic poly-lysine. The fluorescence of AlC4Pc, with the maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 620 and 701 nm, respectively, was quenched by poly-lysine with a proper concentration, but recovered by adding nucleic acids. Under optimal conditions, the recovered fluorescence was in proportional to the concentration of nucleic acids. The linear ranges of the calibration curves were 5-200 ng mL(-1) for both calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) and fish sperm DNA (fsDNA) with the detection limit of 2.6 ng mL(-1) for ctDNA and 2.1 ng mL(-1) for fsDNA. The relative standard deviation (n = 6) was 1.9 and 1.3% for 50 ng mL(-1) ctDNA and fsDNA, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of nucleic acids in synthetic samples with satisfactory results.