Synthesis and solution properties of new metal-free and metallo-phthalocyanines containing four bis(indol-3-yl)methane groups

Metallo-phthalocyanines bearing four bis(indol-3-yl)methane groups were successfully prepared by reaction of the corresponding phthalonitriles with anhydrous metal salts Zn(CH₃COO)₂, NiCl₂ and CoCl₂] in the presence of a catalytic amount of DBU in 2-(dimethylamino)ethanol. The metal-free phthalocyanine was obtained by treating a mixture of the phthalonitrile derivative in similar conditions but in the absence of a metal salt. All of these phthalocyanines are soluble in DMSO, DMF, and pyridine. The products were characterized by IR, NMR, and UV-vis spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF-MS, and thermogravimetric analysis. The aggregation properties of the phthalocyanines were investigated at different concentrations in DMSO. All the phthalocyanines showed monomeric behavior in solution.