boron and phenanthrene

We present an overview of the state of the art in long-wavelength boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophores, focusing on strategies to shift the absorption and emission bands into the red/near-infrared (NIR) range of the spectrum. This report also discusses chemical modifications of the chromophoric core to obtain analyte-responsive fluorophores, including examples of pH and metal ion indicators. Finally, we present a new series of phenanthrene-fused BODIPY dyes, emitting with high efficiency in the red/NIR region of the spectrum, as well as discussing potential applications thereof as probes.

Topics: Boron; Boron Compounds; Fluorescent Dyes; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ions; Metals; Models, Chemical; Molecular Structure; Phenanthrenes; Porphobilinogen; Solvents; Spectrophotometry; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Temperature

A new class of boron-dipyrromethene (BDP or BODIPY) dyes was obtained by phenanthrene fusion to the beta-pyrrole positions, absorbing in the wavelength range of important laser sources. Despite a 'propeller-like' distorted structure in the crystalline state, the chromophore absorbs (log epsilon > or = 5) and fluoresces (Phif > or = 0.8) strongly and can be easily turned into a fluorescence light-up probe. Incorporation into latex beads produces bright and photostable single-dye and Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) particles for microscopy applications.

Topics: Boron; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; Fluorescent Dyes; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Microscopy, Confocal; Models, Molecular; Phenanthrenes; Porphobilinogen