Study on the photostability of water-soluble Zn(II) and Al(III) phthalocyanines in aqueous solution

Abstract

The photodegradation of a series of water-soluble Zn(II) and Al(III) phthalocyanines has been studied in aerobic aqueous solutions. The photobleaching quantum yields of zinc phthalocyanine derivatives range from 2.2 × 10-4 for octacarboxy- to 1.5 × 10-5 for ZnPc , bearing 16 positively charged groups on periphery. Their aluminum counterparts are more photostable and photobleach with quantum yields in the narrow range (0.75 ÷ 2 × 10-6). The pH dependences of the photobleaching quantum yields for aluminum phthalocyanines show enhanced photodegradation for molecules with deprotonated axial H2O ligand. Some aspects of the mechanism of dyes photodegradation were studied and discussed. It was found that contribution to photooxidation of type II pathways depends upon a particular dye structure. Thus, no contribution of singlet oxygen to the photooxidation of cationic phthalocyanines has been found, even though singlet oxygen is involved in the photodegradation of negatively charged phthalocyanines.