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The deployment of small-molecule fluorescent agents plays an ever-growing role in medicine and drug development. Herein, we complement the portfolio of powerful fluorophores, reporting the serendipitous discovery and development of a novel class with an imidazo[1,2-a]pyridinium triflate core, which we term PyrAtes. These fluorophores are synthesized in a single step from readily available materials (>60 examples) and display Stokes shifts as large as 240 nm, while also reaching NIR-I emissions at λ max as long as 720 nm. Computational studies allow the development of a platform for the prediction of λ max and λ Em . Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility of these novel fluorophores with live cell imaging in HEK293 cells, suggesting PyrAtes as potent intracellular markers., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In this article, we report the synthesis and use of iminosydnone-based profluorophores as bioorthogonal cleavable linkers for imaging applications. These linkers react with cycloalkynes via subsequent [3+2] cycloaddition and retro Diels-Alder reactions, allowing simultaneous release of two dyes in biological media.

We report the synthesis and use of sydnone-based profluorophores as tools for imaging applications. These new probes display exquisite reactivity towards strain promoted cycloaddition reactions with cycloalkynes allowing fast, efficient and selective labeling in biological media. Styryl-pyridinium sydnone probes were found particularly interesting for click reactions to proceed selectively inside cells.