Design and synthesis of superresolution imaging agents

The field of superresolution imaging relies on techniques where the locations of sequential subsets of fluorophores are recorded and compiled in order to generate sub diffraction limited images. In order to ensure that only a few emitters are present within a diffraction limited volume, it is necessary to synthesize fluorophores whose emission can be controlled via photoactivation. We report the design and synthesis of a series of versatile azido DCDHF dyes, a class of photoactivatable fluorogens that are easily tailored to a wide variety of superresolution scenarios.