A method for producing a novel phthalocyanine compound which excels in yield and purity, allows no introduction of a chlorine atom into the phthalocyanine skeleton, and possesses relatively bulky substituents is provided.
This method is characterized by causing an orthophthalonitrile compound having a substituent exhibiting smaller σp values than σm values in the Hammett's rule to react with a metal oxide in the presence of a compound forming in the aqueous solution thereof at 25°C an acid or conjugate acid having a dissociation index pKa (the logarithmic value of the reciprocal of the dissociation constant of the acid or conjugate acid) of not more than 7.0.