Acetylene bridged porphyrin-monophthalocyaninato ytterbium(III) hybrids with strong two-photon absorption and high singlet oxygen quantum yield.

Several acetylene bridged porphyrin-monophthalocyaninato ytterbium(III) hybrids, PZn-PcYb, PH(2)-PcYb and PPd-PcYb, have been prepared and characterized by (1)H and (31)P NMR, mass spectrometry, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Their photophysical and photochemical properties, especially the relative singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) quantum yields and the two-photon absorption cross-section (σ(2)), were investigated. These three newly synthesized compounds exhibited very large σ(2) values and substantial (1)O(2) quantum yields upon photo-excitation, making them potential candidates as one- and two-photon photodynamic therapeutic agents.