The reaction between tetraphenylphthalonitrile and 4-phthalonitrile or
6-terf-butylnaphthalonitrile in the presence of copper(1) chloride gi
ves a non-statistical mixture of non-symmetrical phthalocyanines from
which 2:2 complexes are separated; in the reaction between substituted
phthalo- and naphthalonitriles the 2:2 complex was a major product. T
he splitting of the Q-band in the electronic spectra depends on the di
fferences in the electronic structure of the fragments of the non-symm
etrical molecule.