Synthesis of charged triazatetrabenzcorroles, phthalocyanines and tetrapyridylporphyrin, and their activities in the co-sensitized photooxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol

Water soluble zwitterionic, as well as cationic and anionic triazatetrabenzcorroles (TBC), phthalocyanines (Pc) and a porphyrin (P) were synthesized and their sensitizer properties investigated. Monomerization of the sensitizers, including their mixtures, in the presence of a detergent was used as a basis for studying the fundamental effect of co-sensitization upon a known model reaction, viz. the photooxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol in aqueous alkaline solutions. Compared to single-component sensitizers, a remarkable improvement of the photocatalytic activity is observed in the case of co-sensitization employing molecules that absorb in different Q and Soret regions.