Azetidine-Containing Heterospirocycles Enhance the Performance of Fluorophores.

Fluorescent dyes are extensively utilized in various fluorescence imaging techniques. However, many existing modification strategies could not balance the performance (such as brightness, photostability, water solubility, and permeability) of fluorophores. Herein we report a general strategy to enhance the performance of donor-acceptor-type fluorophores by introducing azetidine-containing heterospirocycles to the commonly used fluorophore scaffolds. Such a strategy turned out to be a general way to develop high-quality fluorophores.