Structures and Spectroscopic Properties of Metallocorrole Nanoparticles

In aqueous media, hydrophobic metallocorroles form nanoparticles that are potential theranostic anticancer agents. We have analyzed the electronic and Raman spectra of Al(III), Ga(III), and Au(III) corrole nanoparticles (and made comparisons with DFT-validated assignments of the IR spectra of corresponding monomers) in order to estimate the strengths of corrole-corrole electronic couplings in these assemblies. We find that these spectra are virtually unchanged upon aggregation, confirming that the intermolecular interactions in these nanoparticles are very weak.