Creating the Ideal Push‐Pull System for Electrocatalysis: A Comparative Study on Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Cardanol‐based Cobalt Phthalocyanines

A symmetrical cardanol‐based cobalt phthalocyanine (Pc) along with its asymmetrical acid‐based derivatives were synthesized and applied in the electrocatalysis of hydrazine. Despite the inhibition of electron movement by the bulky cardanol‐based substituent throughout the series of molecules, an ideal combination of substituents was established in GCE‐3 (2,9,16‐tris(3‐pentadecylphenoxy)‐23‐mono propionic acid phthalocyanato cobalt (II)) where a limit of detection (LoD) value of 5.10 μM (signal to noise ratio=5) was recorded for the detection of hydrazine. The results obtained serve as an illustration that the combination of electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing substituents has a significant influence on the complete functioning of the phthalocyanine molecule(s) being investigated.