New cyanines were prepared by an efficient and practical route with satisfactory overall yield from low-cost starting materials. The photophysical behavior of the cyanines was investigated using UV-vis and steady-state fluorescence in solution, as well as their association with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). No cyanine aggregation was observed in organic solvents or in phosphate buffer solution. The alkyl chain length in the quaternized nitrogen was shown to be fundamental for BSA detection in PBS in these dyes.

New chiral selenide‐ and diselenide amino acid derivatives have been synthesized. By a simple and efficient two‐step route, these new compounds were obtained from inexpensive and commercially available L‐amino acids. The products, with a highly modular character, were obtained in good to excellent yields. Selected examples were also efficiently used as GPx mimics, catalyzing the reduction of H2O2 to water at the expense of PhSH. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)

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