Synthesis and photocytotoxicity of some new substituted phthalocyanines

Some new, ring-substituted phthalocyanines have been synthesized and underwent preliminary testing for photodynamic activity using the colony forming ability of Chinese hamster cells in culture as an endpoint. Using 4-(3-N,N-diethylaminopropyl)phthalonitrile as a precursor, the previously unknown metal-free 2,9,16,23-tetra-(3-N,N-diethylaminopropyl)phthalocyanine was prepared and converted to its zinc (II) and its cationic water-soluble 2,9,16,23-tetramethylammonium zinc (II) iodide derivatives. Other new phthalocyanine derivatives tested, include a 2,9,16,23-tetra(2-hydroxymethyl-2-methylbutoxy)phthalocyaninato zinc (II) and 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octahydroxyphthalocyaninato zinc (II) derivatives. Boron tribromide cleavage of the newly prepared and fully characterized 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octamethoxyphthalocyanine gave the unstable metal-free octahydroxyphthalocyanine, which could only be characterized by ultraviolet-visible, NMR and IR spectroscopy.