Abstract
In this review, we have shown that the dimerisation of phthalocyanine compounds, notably here the sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanines, is dependent upon concentration, on the medium in which the dye is dissolved, and upon pH. Complex equilibria between various monomer and dimer species are observed as a function of pH, and the probable structures of the dimers elucidated by semi-empirical and ab initio calculations. The formation of a red-shifted dimer leads to the quenching of monomer singlet state in concentrated solution, in reverse micelles, and in lipid vesicles, and this behaviour can account for the fluorescence intensity distributions and decay characteristics of phthalocyanine dyes in living cells as a function of irradiation time.
