Red/near-infrared boron-dipyrromethene dyes as strongly emitting fluorophores

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.