Water-soluble phthalocyanine compounds

Claim 1

A phthalocyanine compound of the formula ##STR33## in which MePc is the Ge(IV)-phthalocyanine ring system, A is a group of the formulas ##STR34## wherein R 6 is C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, phenyl, (C 1 -C 4 -alkyl)-phenyl, chlorophenyl or methoxyphenyl, R 7 ' is C 2 -C 6 -alkylene, R 7 " is C 1 -C 6 -alkylene, R 8 , R 9 and R 10 independently of one another are C 1 -C 4 -alkyl which is unsubstituted or substituted by hydroxyl, halogen or phenyl, R 16 is C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, halogen or hydroxyl and R 17 and R 18 independently of one another are hydrogen, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or halogenoalkyl being 1-6 C atoms in each case, or phenyl or, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, are the piperidine, piperazine or morpholine ring, Z, as a counter-ion for an anionic group, is a hydrogen ion, alkali metal ion, an unsubstituted ammonium ion or a substituted ammonium ion of the formula ##STR35## in which R', R" and R"' independently of one another are hydrogen or alkyl of 1-4 carbon atoms which is unsubstituted or substituted by halogen, hydroxyl, phenyl or cyano, at least one R-substituent being other than hydrogen, and two R-radicals together with the ammonium nitrogen can be piperidine, piperazine, morpholine, pyrrolidine or imidazolidine, for a cationic group is a halide ion, alkylsulfate ion, a benzenesulfonate ion, a toluenesulfonate ion, a p-chloro-benzenesulfonate ion, a sulfate ion, a phosphate ion or the ion of an organic carboxylic acid, and, for a nonionic group, is zero, n is number from 1 to 4, p is number from 0 to 4 and Y is halogen, alkyl or phenyl, it being possible for different types of substituents A and/or Y to be present in the molecule.