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fluorescein

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fluorescein

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Also known as 3,6-fluorandiol, 9-(o-carboxyphenyl)-6-hydroxy-3H-xanthen-3-one, Fluoreszein, Yellow fluorescein, D&C Yellow No. 7, Japan Yellow 201, 9-(o-carboxyphenyl)-6-hydroxy-3-isoxanthenone, D and C Yellow No. 7

Fluorescein is an organic compound and dye based on the xanthene tricyclic structural motif, formally belonging to triarylmethine dyes family. It is available as a dark orange/red powder slightly soluble in water and alcohol. It is used as a fluorescent tracer in many applications.

Chemical data

Formula
C20H12O5
Molecular weight
332.3 g/mol
IUPAC name
3',6'-dihydroxyspiro[2-benzofuran-3,9'-xanthene]-1-one
SMILES
C1=CC=C2C(=C1)C(=O)OC23C4=C(C=C(C=C4)O)OC5=C3C=CC(=C5)O
InChIKey
GNBHRKFJIUUOQI-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
3.4
Polar surface area
76 Ų
H-bond donors
2
H-bond acceptors
5
Formal charge
0

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Research

98,468 papers

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Encyclopedic overview

12 sections
Contents
  • Uses
  • Safety
  • Chemistry
  • Derivatives
  • Synthesis
  • Research
  • Biosciences
  • Earth sciences
  • Plant science
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Fluorescein is an organic compound and dye based on the xanthene tricyclic structural motif, formally belonging to triarylmethine dyes family. It is available as a dark orange/red powder slightly soluble in water and alcohol. It is used as a fluorescent tracer in many applications.

The color of its aqueous solutions is green by reflection and orange by transmission (its spectral properties are dependent on pH of the solution), as can be noticed in bubble levels, for example, in which fluorescein is added as a colorant to the alcohol filling the tube in order to increase the visibility of the air bubble contained within. More concentrated solutions of fluorescein can even appear red (because under these conditions nearly all incident emission is re-absorbed by the solution).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “fluorescein” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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