A Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Strategy to NIR-Emissive BODIPY Dimers and Trimers with Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Characteristics

A highly regioselective, one-pot synthesis of directly β,β-linked BODIPY dimers and trimers via a novel palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H coupling is reported. These oligomers exhibit intense intramolecular J-type exciton coupling, leading to tunable NIR absorption/emission in the 500-800 nm range, decent fluorescence quantum yields, and efficient reactive oxygen species generation, highlighting their potential as dual near-infrared imaging and theranostic agents.