Schiff base containing pyridine groups functionalized water-soluble phthalocyanine: Synthesis, photo-physicochemical properties, and bovine serum albumin binding behavior

The novel pyridine bearing schiff base substituted metal-free (9), zinc(II) phthalocyanine (10), and its quaternized derivative (11) were designed and synthesized. These phthalocyanines were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods (FT-IR, UV–Vis, MALDI-TOF, and (1)H NMR). The photo-physicochemical properties of these phthalocyanines were investigated in both DMSO and DMF for 10 and in both DMSO and aqueous solution for 11. The addition of pyridine bearing Schiff base groups as peripheral ligands showed an improvement in the photophysical and photochemical properties. In addition, a spectroscopic investigation of the binding behavior of the water-soluble zinc (II) phthalocyanine complex to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was also studied in this work.