Iodinated lutetium (III) phthalocyanine: Synthesis, photochemical and nonlinear optical properties

New octaiodo-substituted lutetium (III) phthalocyanine was prepared using a six-step synthetic procedure starting from commercially available o-xylene. The amide synthesis and dehydration step were optimized. The influence of the nature of peripheral halogen atoms on optical and photochemical properties was studied. For the complex under study, the possibility of participation in photoreactions of types I and II with the formation of two different forms of reactive oxygen species was investigated: superoxide anion radical and singlet oxygen respectively. Competition between two photoreactions was demonstrated. The Z-scan method revealed a pronounced nonlinear optical response of the iodinated complex, caused by the action of heavy atoms of peripheral iodine groups.