A perfluorinated derivative of phthalocyanine was synthesized as the free base, hexadeca-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy) phthalocyanine (H₂F₄₈Pc), and as a zinc complex, hexadeca-(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)-phthalocyaninatozinc (ZnF₄₈Pc), and their spectroscopic and photochemical properties were studied. The absorption bands are shifted bathochromically relative to simple phthalocyanines, exhibiting the longest wavelength band near 735 nm (H₂F₄₈Pc) and 705 (ZnF₄₈Pc). The solvatochromism of both compounds was modeled by Reichardt's E_T(30) parameter and Kamlet, Abboud and Taft multiparameter approach. The former, simpler, model was found to be adequate. We found that H₂F₄₈Pc undergoes unique basic and acidic titrations in organic solvents. These titration processes are accompanied by spectral changes that are explained on the basis of the chromophore's symmetry. Singular value decomposition was employed to resolve the spectra into the contributions of the species at various stages of protonation and to obtain the equilibrium constants. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (¹H, ¹⁹F and ¹³C) for the free base were obtained in a tetrahydrofuran-d₈ solution. The carbon spectrum, taken as a function of temperature, provided evidence for the presence of a tautomerization process, which switches the two internal hydrogens between the four central nitrogen atoms. As far as we know, this is the first report of the measurement of the free energy of activation for such process (ΔG^† = 10.6–11.4 kcal mol⁻¹ between 217 and 330 K) for a phthalocyanine, in solution. Like most other phthalocyanines these two compounds also act as photosensitizers and as generators of singlet molecular oxygen. The absolute quantum yields (Φ_Δ) for ZnF₄₈Pc was 0.58 ± 0.01 in benzene and 0.35 ± 0.01 in lipid vesicles. H₂F₄₈Pc had lower yields, 0.16 and 0.005, respectively. Either protonation or deprotonation of the pyrrole nitrogens in H₂F₄₈Pc lowered the Φ_Δ.