Development of environment-insensitive and highly emissive BODIPYs via installation of N,N'-dialkylsubstituted amide at meso position

Fluorescent dyes play a crucial role in fluorescence imaging and sensing technology. However, there is a dilemma that they are usually intrinsically hydrophobic which lacks of emission in water and modification with ionic groups to access water solubility may result in poor membrane permeability. Fluorescent dyes with strong fluorescence emission in both nonpolar and polar solvents are highly desirable. In this manuscript, we reported a strategy to develop fluorescent BODIPY dyes via installation of amide moiety at meso position of 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-BODIPY and discovered that N,N'-dialkylsubstituted BODIPY amides possessed highly fluorescent emission with favorable environment-insensitive properties.