BODIPY: synthesis, modification, and applications in sensing and biomedicine

BODIPY chromophores (4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene) are one of the most versatile fluorophores which are commonly used in a variety of scientific fields. The combination of excellent photophysical properties with the possibility of easy chemical modification of structure, chemical and photostability determines the application of BODIPY in biomedicine, photocatalysis, analytical chemistry and materials science. This review summarizes approaches to the synthesis and modification of BODIPY, discussing both classical and recently-published synthetic and postfunctionalization approaches. An influence of BODIPY structure and various postfunctionalization methods on photophysical properties of the fluorophores and their potential applications in biomedicine, materials science and biosensorics are also discussed. The bibliography includes 344 references.