Bisphthalonitrile with a Disulfide-Based Linker and its Dimethylene Analogue: Comparative Structural Insights

Phthalonitriles are key precursors of phthalocyanines. Self-quenching dimeric phthalocyanines likely to be cleaved into monomeric species are of potential interest for tumour-site activated photosensitisers. Disulfide linkers can be specifically cleaved in tumoral tissue do to their reductive nature. Hence, a disulfide-linked phthalonitrile was designed to serve as further precursor of specifically tumour-activatable phthalocyanine-based photosensitising systems. Bisphthalonitrile with a disulfide-based linker and its dimethylene analogue were comparatively analyzed on a spectroscopic point of view as well as with DFT calculations. A thorough crystallographic analysis of the disulfide-linked derivative was conducted.