Alkynyl-substituted phthalocyanines: versatile building blocks for molecular materials synthesis

Phthalocyanines are an interesting class of aromatic macrocycles which possess unique physical and chemical properties that make them excellent building blocks for the construction of molecular materials. Among the different functional groups that can be incorporated into the phthalocyanine's skeleton, the alkynyl group is one of the most interesting; this is confirmed by the large number of organic synthetic materials constructed from acetylene-based scaffolds due its rigidity and linearity, allowing high exciton and electron coupling between chromophore units. Additionally, these systems are particularly important, considering the wide range of functional group interconversions that the triple bond may permit. This account represents a concise overview of the most important contributions on the synthesis and applications of mono- and poly-alkynyl-substituted phthalocyanine-based molecular systems, towards the development of new functional molecular materials. Copyright (c) 2006 Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines.