Trifluoroacetyl-effect on amino-single benzene-based fluorophores: Synthesis, optical properties, and cytotoxicity

Amino-single benzene-based fluorophores (SBBFs) are representative small-size fluorescent dyes that have an electron push-pull structure within the benzene core. In this work, a new library of amino-SBBFs, which have trifluoroacetyl moiety at the electron-pushing amine group (named SBBF-TFA), featuring a variety of methylamines, dimethylamines, as well as acetyl. To explore the SBBF-TFA library, we conducted (i) library synthesis, (ii) assessment of various photophysical properties in nine different types of organic/aqueous solvents, and (iii) evaluation of cytotoxicity in the HeLa cell line. We believe that our findings provide valuable insights for advancing novel small-molecule fluorescent probes and materials with diverse applications across pharmacochemical fields.