An Organic Chemist's Guide to Fluorophores – Understanding Common and Newer Non‐Planar Fluorescent Molecules for Biological Applications

Abstract

Labeling and detection of biomolecules in vitro and in vivo is essential to many areas of biomedical science. Fluorophores stand as indispensable tools within chemical biology, underscoring the importance of fine‐tuning their optical properties. This review focuses on methods for optimizing emission wavelength, quantum yield and photostability. We focus not just on the trends, but the fundamental physical organic chemistry concepts that inform the connection between molecular structure and fluorescent properties. This approach offers an essential understanding of fluorescence, enabling readers to develop a systematic analytical framework for thinking about fluorescence. Furthermore, an evaluation of newer non‐planar fluorophores shines light on the bright future of fluorescent molecules.

BODIPY Chemisorbed on SnO2 and TiO2 Surfaces for Photoelectrochemical Applications

“…The methyl groups in the 3 and 5 positions of 2 drastically enhance the molar extinction coefficient by increasing the planarity of the structure and affecting the HOMO–LUMO energies. − Additionally, the electron donating nature of the methyl groups leads to a slight stabilization of the radical cation and a less oxidizing wave in the CV when compared to 1 (Figure S4). The potentials for oxidation to form the radical cations were obtained by using DPV (Figure S5) due to the irreversible features in the CV and are listed in Table .…”