Direct electrochemical synthesis of metal complexes of phthalocyanines and azomethines as model compounds: advantages and problems of this method versus traditional synthetic techniques

Abstract

A comparison of traditional and electrochemical synthetic techniques for obtaining metal complexes of azomethine and phthalocyanine is reported. It is shown that the electrochemical method affords azomethinic coordination compounds free of anions of precursors and with higher yields at ambient temperature. Electrolysis in a solid phase of phthalonitrile using a high-surface platinum cathode leads to metal-free phthalocyanine and metal phthalocyaninates at 0–25°C. The typical problems of the electrosynthetic procedures in different conditions are discussed in detail.