The chemistry of Bodipy: a new El Dorado for fluorescence tools

In the steadily expanding field of fluorescent dyes, labels and electroluminescent materials difluoroboron-dipyrromethenes play a prominent role. The review highlights recent advances made with these boron-stabilized cyanine dyes. The chemistry at the boron atom and increase of delocalization on the organic core allows one to address the problems of Stokes' shifts, colours and emission wavelengths spanning from green to the NIR. The outcome is a diversity of molecules prepared by different strategies and exhibiting interesting and tunable spectroscopic, electrochemical and chemical properties. This perspective article describes the scope and spectroscopic attributes of this new class of fluorescent dyes amenable to applications in various disciplines.