Photophysical properties of porphyrin derivatives: Influence of the alkyl chains in homogeneous and micro-heterogeneous systems

Abstract

This work is focused on the evaluation of the photophysical properties of protoporphyrin-IX derivatives with different alkyl chains. The goal of this work is to understand the physicochemical properties and select prototypes of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. Solvents with different dielectric constants were used to obtain relevant data on different physical and chemical processes, such as fluorescence quantum yield and emission level of aggregation in nonpolar media. In addition, studies were conducted in micro-heterogeneous systems through the interaction of porphyrin derivatives with different surfactants, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodium dodecyl sulfate and octyl phenol ethoxylate. The compounds were characterized by electronic absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible region and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The comparative study between the different chemical environments evaluated in the present study represents a relevant contribution to the comprehension of the properties acquired by the porphyrins in different micro-heterogeneous systems, which allows us to understand various interactions that these compounds are subject in biological medium, such as the influence of the polarity of the medium in the reactivity of porphyrins with nonpolar substituents. These results show the decisive physicochemical influence of the alkyl chains on the properties of the tetraazomacrocycle porphyrin.