Novel pthalocyanines bearing 4-ferrocenylphenoxy substituents and their electrochemistry

The synthesis, spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the tetra-(4-ferrocenylphenoxy) substituted metal-free, zinc(II) and cobalt(II) phthalocyanines reported for the first time. Metal-free, zinc(II) and cobalt(II) phthalocyanines were synthesized from 4-(ferrocenylphenoxy)phthalonitrile 3 which was obtained from 4-ferrocenylphenol 1 and 4-nitrophthalonitrile 2. The compounds have been characterized by IR, UV–Vis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MALDI-TOF mass spectral data. The electrochemical properties of the phthalocyanines were also investigated by cyclic and square wave voltammetry techniques. Cyclic and square wave voltammetric studies show that phthalocyanines have reversible/quasi-reversible redox processes, which are the main requirement for the technological usage of these compounds.