The results of a spectrophotometric study of the dissociation kinetics of the coordination centre in (phthalocyaninato) erbium(III) and lutetium(II), (X)LnPc (X = Cl, Br, AcO) in ethanol in the presence of acetic acid are reported. The kinetic equations, the numerical values of reaction rate constants and dependences of the letter on the temperature were determined by the method of excessive concentrations. The stoichiometric mechanism of the complexes dissociation and the nature of the limiting elementary reaction were substantiated and the role of axial ligands in the reaction mechanism was revealed using spectral data and the quasiequilibrium principle to describe kinetic regularities. The resulting data can help in the use of erbium and lutetium phthalocyanines as precursors in the synthesis of higher stoichiometry complexes.It was previously shown that the equatorial (macrocyclic) and axial ligands in metal porphyrins (MP) and metal phthalocyanines (MPc) with a mixedligand coordination sphere and the metal cation having the formal charge >2, not only are bound to the central atom with different strengths, but also exert a cis effect on each other, thereby affecting the reactivity [1-6]. Higher stoichiometry complexes, where the axial positions are occupied by one or even two porphyrin/ phthalocyanine ligands, specifically, sandwich complexes are the most stable and widespread form in the case of rare earth metals having a large radius and high coordination numbers. Such complexes exhibit nonlinear optical, magnetic, electrochromic, and other practically important properties [7-16] provoking a growing interest in the synthesis of new compounds of this class. Among recent achievements, the synthesis of four-and six-membered sandwich complexes containing a flexible spacer (clamshell complexes)[17] or a cadmium ion as one of the central ions [18] are worth mentioning. Even though sandwich complexes of rare-earth metals are much more stable than 1 : 1 complexes with an axial acido ligand (X) LnP, (X)LnPc [19], the search for ways to enhance stability of the latter complexes and the study of their properties are continued. According to [20,21], chloride and acetate axial complexes of (porphyrinato) gadolinium(III), europium(III), and thulium(III) complexes are paramagnetics, and in external magnetic fields of up to 1 T at 15-25°С they exhibit magnetocaloric properties which are much dependent on the nature of the axial ligand. (AcO)GdTPP (TPP is 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine dianion) shows a high magnetocaloric effect which compares with that of lanthanum manganite doped with silver ions [22] and implies that acidoporphyrin complexes of rare-earth metals hold promise for application in solid-state refrigerators and hyperthermia therapy.In view of the aforesaid, it is quite obvious that the studying the influence of the nature of axial ligands on the stability of (phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes is an urgent task. In the present work we synthesized erbium(III) and lutetium(III) phthalocyanines of t...