Squaraine

Squalene epoxidation Squaraine Square 50 Square 80 Square permalloy Square Permalloy 80 Squaric acid [2892-51-5]... 

Long-Wavelength Probes and Labels Based on Cyanines and Squaraines... 

Ring-Substituted Squaraines Probes and Labels with... 

Fig. 1 Absorption and emission spectra of Cy3, CyS, Cy7, oxo-squaraine 13b (part 3 of this chapter) and dicyanomethylene squaraine 41j (part 4 of this chapter) in water (pH 7.4)...

Symmetrical pyrrole- and phloroglucinol-based oxo-squaraines 2 and 3 were first synthesized by Treibs and Jacob in 1965 [43, 44] and aniline-based squaraines 4... 

In general, symmetrical oxo-squaraines having the same end-groups are synthesized by reacting squaric acid with two equivalents of quatemized indolenine, 2-methyl-substituted benzothiazole, benzoselenazole, pyridine, quinoline [39, 45, 46] (Fig. 4) in a mixture of 1-butanol - toluene or 1-butanol - benzene with azeotropic removal of water in presence [39, 45] or absence [47] of quinoline as a catalyst. Other reported solvent systems include 1-butanol - pyridine [48], 1-propanol - chlorobenzene, or a mixture of acetic acid with pyridine and acetic anhydride [49]. Low CH-acidic, heterocyclic compounds such as quatemized aryl-azoles and benzoxazole do not react, and the corresponding oxo-squaraines cannot be obtained using this method [23, 50]. 

The key intermediates for the synthesis of unsymmetrical, heterocyclic oxo-squaraines are the mono-squaraines (semi-squaraines) shown in Fig. 5. These intermediates can be synthesized via condensation of dialkylsquarate with an equimolar amount of methylene base [51]. The obtained alkoxy-mono-squaraines are then reacted with the second methylene base to yield unsymmetrical oxo-squaraines. These mono-squaraine intermediates display a higher reactivity compared to squaric acid or its esters they allow the synthesis of the corresponding... 

Fig. 6 Synthesis of symmetrical and unsymmetrical aniline-based oxo-squaraines...

Symmetrical, aniline-based, and aromatic oxo-squaraines are synthesized via a one-step reaction by heating two equivalents of the appropriate /V,/V-dialkylaniline or other reactive aromatic or heteroaromatic derivatives with squaric acid (Fig. 6) [38, 41]. Unsymmetrical aniline-type squaraines can be synthesized in two steps first one component is reacted with squaric acid dichloride to yield a mono-squaraine intermediate, which in a subsequent step is then reacted with the second component to yield the unsymmetrical squaraine dye [53]. 

Mixed squaraines can be synthesized via heterocyclic or aromatic mono-squaraines [49]. Symmetrical and unsymmetrical oxo-squaraines and mono-squar-aine intermediates can be obtained also by formation of squaraine ring [42]. 

The synthesis of oxo-squaraines and related compounds, including their spectral properties and applications as biomedical probes, photoconducting materials, and photosensitizers are provided in a recent review [56]. 

The synthesis, spectral properties, and applications of symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical, hydrophobic oxo-squaraine probes for noncovalent interaction with proteins, lipids, cells, and other high-molecular-weight analytes are described in numerous publications and patents [52, 57, 58]. 

A series of unsymmetrical oxo-squaraines 7, containing both heterocyclic and aniline-based end-groups, was synthesized and their absorption spectra were investigated [61]. Some of these dyes, absorbing between 680-820 nm with high molar... 

The sulfo-gmup containing squaraine-taurine probe 8 [62] displayed a very high affinity for BSA and other blood proteins. This probe exhibits low quantum yields and short fluorescence lifetimes in water and a significant increase of these characteristics upon binding to proteins. 

The noncovalent binding of a series of oxo-squaraine dyes 9a-e to BSA was evaluated by measurement of absorption, emission, and circular dichroism [63]. The magnitude of the association constants (Ks) for the dye-BSA complexes depended on the nature of the side chains and ranged from 34 x 103 to 1 x 107 M-1. Depending on the side chains, the Ks increase in the order [R1 = R2 = butyl-phthalimide] < R1 = R2 = cetyl] <[RJ = R2 = ethyl] <<[R = butyl-phthalimide, R2 = butyl-sulfonate] <<[RJ = R2 = butyl-sulfonate]. These dyes seem to interact mainly with a hydrophobic cavity on BSA. However, the association constants Ks increase substantially when the side chains are selected from butyl sulfonate. 

Hydrophobic (10a) and hydrophilic (10b) squaraines show a noticeable increase in fluorescence intensity in presence of HSA and importantly dye 10b, containing a sulfo group, exhibits a large intensity increase when bound to avidin, a protein well-known to quench many fluorescent dyes [58]. 

The squaraine probe 9g was tested for its sensitivity to trace the formation of protein-lipid complexes [57]. The binding of dye 9g to model membranes composed of zwitter-ionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and its mixtures with anionic lipid cardiolipin (CL) in different molar ratios was found to be controlled mainly by hydrophobic interactions. Lysozyme (Lz) and ribonuclease A (RNase) influenced the association of 9g with lipid vesicles. The magnitude of this effect was much higher... 

Symmetrical and unsymmetrical quinaldine-based squaraines 14 linked to cellular recognition elements that exhibit near-infrared absorption (>740 nm) could have potential biological and photodynamic therapeutical applications [68]. 

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