User Contributed Dictionary
Etymology
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Noun
- A molecule or functional group which is capable of fluorescence.
- 2006, Christian M. Apfel and Thilo Enderle, "Assays for High-Throughput Screening in Drug Discovery," in Combinatorial Chemistry: From Theory to Application http://books.google.com/books?id=LJHUbaMr1usC, ISBN 3527607382, page 629:
- The ideal fluorophore is a small, hydrophilic molecule with a long emission wavelength, large Stokes shift, high extinction coefficient, and high quantum efficiency.
molecule capable of fluorescence
- French: fluorophore
- German: Fluorophor
- Korean: 형광물질 (hyeonggwangmuljil)
- Polish: fluorofor
See also
Extensive Definition
A fluorophore, in analogy to a chromophore, is a component
of a molecule which causes a molecule to be fluorescent. It is a
functional
group in a molecule which will absorb energy of a specific
wavelength and re-emit energy at a different (but equally specific)
wavelength. The amount and wavelength of the emitted energy depend
on both the fluorophore and the chemical environment of the
fluorophore. This technology has particular importance in the field
of biochemistry and
protein studies, eg. in
immunofluorescence
and immunohistochemistry.
Fluorescein
isothiocyanate, a reactive derivative of fluorescein, has been one of
the most common fluorophores chemically attached to other,
non-fluorescent molecules to create new and fluorescent molecules
for a variety of applications. Other historically common
fluorophores are derivatives of rhodamine, coumarin and cyanine.
A newer generation of fluorophores such as the
Alexa
Fluors and the DyLight
Fluors are generally more photostable, brighter, and less
pH-sensitive
than other standard dyes of comparable excitation and
emission.
Size
The size of the fluorophore might sterically hinder the tagged molecule:- quantum dot: 2-10 nm (diameter), 100-100,000 atoms
- Green fluorescent protein (GFP) 26 kDa
- luciferin: about 20 atoms
External links
- The Database of fluorescent dyes
- Table of fluorochromes http://pingu.salk.edu/flow/fluo.html
fluorophore in Spanish: Fluoróforo
fluorophore in French: Fluorochrome
fluorophore in Polish: Fluorofor
fluorophore in Russian:
Флюорофор