Porphyrins and phthalocyanines. Part I. Properties and some applications

Nowadays, the chemistry of porphyrins, phthalocyanines and related compounds (usually named as tetrapyrrolic rings) is one of the most interesting and promising subjects of supramolecular chemistry, because of unique photoactive properties of the porphyrin rings and their ability of electron transfer. The possibility of synthesis of tetrapyrroles with countless organic groups substituted to nine reactive centers of porphyrin ring and synthesis of complexes with almost all metal ions and, additionally, easy to modify the molecular structure of such obtained compounds give a chance of using the porphyrins in many different areas of life. In this paper, we present the most significant problems concerning porphyrins and their metal complexes, such as the molecular structures and physicochemical properties. We also show the most interesting applications, including the role of porphyrins as photosensitizers in photolysis of water and in photodynamic therapy (PDT).