ISOMERISM AND SYMMETRY OF STACKED POLYMERIC PHTHALOCYANINES AND RELATED POLYMERS

The number of isomers i(r,t) for stacked polymeric phthalocyanines in which each phthalocyanine ring is tetrasubstituted or octasubstituted with two different substituents (each benzene moiety substituted with both substituents) is determined to be lim(x-->infinity) i(r,t) = 2m/1 6 where m is the number of substituted phthalonitrile molecules incorp orated into the polymer and x is the number of phthalocyanine macrocyc les (degree of polymerization; m = 4x). Specifically, for a stacked po lymeric phthalocyanine with x = 2, there exist 26 isomers, and when x = 3, there exist 298 isomers. The stacked polymeric phthalocyanines wi th substituted phthalocyanine rings possess different symmetry groups (D2h, D2d, C4h, C4, C2v or C(s); or E as sole symmetry operation). The results are valid for stacking of other macrocycles similar to phthal ocyanine such as porphyrins.