Chlorophyll-Inspired Red-Region Fluorophores: Building Block Synthesis and Studies in Aqueous Media.

Fluorophores that absorb and emit in the red spectral region (600-700 nm) are of great interest in photochemistry and photomedicine. Eight new target chlorins (and 19 new chlorins altogether)-analogues of chlorophyll-of different polarities have been designed and synthesized for various applications; seven of the chlorins are equipped with a bioconjugatable tether. Hydrophobic or amphiphilic chlorins in a non-polar organic solvent (toluene), polar organic solvent (DMF), and aqueous or aqueous micellar media show a sharp emission band in the red region and modest fluorescence quantum yield (Φ = 0.

Photophysical Characterization of the Naturally Occurring Dioxobacteriochlorin Tolyporphin A and Synthetic Oxobacteriochlorin Analogues.

Tolyporphins are tetrapyrrole macrocycles produced by a cyanobacterium-containing culture known as HT-58-2. Tolyporphins A-J are free base dioxobacteriochlorins, whereas tolyporphin K is an oxochlorin. Here, the photophysical characterization is reported of tolyporphin A and two synthetic analogues, an oxobacteriochlorin and a dioxobacteriochlorin.