Rhodamine (IPA: [ˌrəʊdəmiːn]) is a family of related chemical compounds, fluorone dyes. Examples are Rhodamine 6G and Rhodamine B. They are used as a dye and as a dye laser gain medium. It is often used as a tracer dye within water to determine the rate and direction of flow and transport. Rhodamine dyes fluoresce and can thus be measured easily and inexpensively with instruments called fluorimeters.
Rhodamine dyes are generally toxic, and are soluble in water, methanol, and ethanol.
Rhodamine B
Molecular Formula: C28H31N2O3Cl
Molecular Weight: 479.02 grams per mole
CAS Number: 81-88-9
SMILES structure: [Cl-].CCN(CC)c1ccc2c(OC3=CC(C=CC3=C2c4ccccc4C(O)=O)=[N+](CC)CC)c1
Rhodamine B is used in biology as a staining fluorescent dye, sometimes in combination with auramine O, as the auramine-rhodamine stain to demonstrate acid-fast organisms, notably Mycobacterium.
Rhodamine B is tunable around 610 nm when used as a laser dye.
Rhodamine B is also called Rhodamine 610, Basic Violet 10, or C.I. 45170.
Rhodamine 6G
Molecular Formula: C28H31N2O3Cl
Molecular Weight: 479.02 g/mol
CAS Number: 989-38-8
SMILES structure: [Cl-].CCNc1cc2OC3=CC(=[NH+]CC)C(=CC3=C(c2cc1C)c4ccccc4C(=O)OCC)C
Rhodamine 6G is often used as a laser dye, and is pumped by the 2nd (532 nm) harmonic from a Nd:YAG laser. The dye has a remarkably high photostability, high quantum yield, low cost, and its lasing range has close proximity to its absorption maximum (approximately 530 nm). The lasing range of the dye is 555 to 585 nm with a maximum at 566 nm.
Rhodamine 6G is also called Rhodamine 590, R6G, Basic Rhodamine Yellow , or C.I. 45160.
Rhodamine 123
The laser dye rhodamine 123 is also used in biochemistry to inhibit mitochondrion function. Rhodamine 123 seems to bind to the mitochondrion membranes and inhibit transport processes, especially the electron transport chain, thus slowing down inner respiration. It is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (Pgp), which is usually overexpressed in cancer cells. Recent reports indicate that rhodamine 123 may be also a substrate of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), or more specifically, MRP1.
External links
- Absorption and Emission Spectra of Rhodamine B
- Absorption and Emission Spectra of Rhodamine 6G
- Absorption and Emission Spectra of Rhodamine 123
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