Solventless and one-pot synthesis of Cu(II) phthalocyanine complex: A green chemistry experiment

Abstract

With the growing awareness of green chemistry, it is increasingly important for students to understand this concept in the context of laboratory experiments. Although microwaveassisted organic synthesis has become a common and invaluable technique in recent years, there have been few procedures published for microwave-assisted inorganic synthesis in the undergraduate teaching laboratories. Microwave irradiation has been employed as an alternative to standard thermal heating in chemical reactions. The use of microwave irradiation may outperform conventional reaction conditions in various aspects, such as easier workup, reduction of the usual thermal degradation products, reduction of toxic and expensive quantities of solvents, and reduction of secondary products. The method is simple, fast, and makes green chemistry accessible to students. The preparation of Cu(II) phthalocyanine complex uses only solid reactants, including the catalyst. The product is characterized using instrumental methods such as UV-vis and IR spectroscopy. Copyright © 2010 The American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.