Peripheral and non-peripheral-designed multifunctional phthalocyanines; synthesis, electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry and metal ion binding studies

A novel type of ionophore ligands, 3′-(2,3-dihydroxypropylthio)-phthalonitrile and 4′(2,3-dihydroxypropylthio)-phthalonitrile, and their α- and β-tetrasubstituted metallo phthalocyanines, (MPc), (M = Zn^II, Co^II, Mn^IIICl, Fe^IIIAc, Cu^II) have been prepared and fully characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and MS (ESI and Maldi-TOF). The complexes are soluble in both polar and non-polar solvents, such as MeOH and EtOH, THF, CHCl₃ and CH₂Cl₂. The spectroscopic properties of the complexes are affected strongly by the electron-donating sulfanyl units on the periphery of the phthalocyanines. The cation binding properties of the complexes, for example using Ag^I and Pd^II, were evaluated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and the results show the formation of polynuclear phthalocyanine complexes. Functional donors on the periphery of the zinc and copper complexes coordinate to Ag^I and Pd^II to give ca. a 2:1 metal-phthalocyanine complex binding ratio for the concentration of 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ M (Pc) and 1.0 × 10⁻³ M (Metal ions). Voltammetric and in-situ spectroelectrochemical studies were performed to characterize the redox behavior of the complexes. An in-situ electrocolorimetric method was applied to investigate the colors of the electro-generated anionic and cationic forms of the complexes.