Metallophthalocyanines photosensitize the breakdown of (hydro)peroxides in solution to yield hydroxyl or alkoxyl and peroxyl free radicals via different interaction pathways.

Interactions of organic peroxides (R'OOR) and hydroperoxides (R'OOH), including H2O2, with excited triplet and singlet state metallophthalocyanines (MPc, M = Zn, Al) have been studied by T-T absorption decay and fluorescence quenching. The ensuing photochemical processes result in decomposition of (hydro)peroxides as assessed by photo-EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) and spin trapping. In argon-saturated apolar solutions and low MPc concentrations, alkoxyl free radicals (*OR) were identified as the primary products of (hydro)peroxide breakdown. Similarly, photosensitized decomposition of symmetric disulfides results in the formation of sulfur-centered radicals. In air-free aqueous solutions, ROOH photosensitization always gave rise to a mixture of hydroxyl and peroxyl radical (*OOR) adducts in varying molar ratios. At high MPc concentrations, both in polar and in apolar solutions, the most abundant products of ROOH decomposition were identified as *OOR. This indicates a change in the predominant interaction pathway, most likely mediated by MPc exciplexes and involving H-atom abstraction from ROOH by MPc-cation radicals. The prevalence of MPc singlet vs. triplet state interactions was confirmed by the much higher singlet quenching rate constants (log kq up to 9.5; vs. log kT < or = 4.5). In contrast to the triplet quenching, singlet quenching rates were found to depend on the (hydro)peroxide structure, following closely the trend of varying *OR yields for different substrates. Thermodynamic calculations were performed to correlate experimental results with models for electronic energy and charge transfer processes in agreement with the Marcus theory (Rhem and Weller approximation) and Savéant's model for a concerted dissociative electron transfer mechanism.