Multifunctional photo acid generator for fluorescence imaging based on self-contained photoreaction

We present N-(p-anilinesulfonyloxy)-1,8-naphthalimide (ASNI) as fluorescence imaging material based on a novel fluorescence imaging mechanism. ASNI is composed of two functional moieties in one molecule: an acid-reactive fluorescence probe and a photoacid generator (PAG). When ASNI is photoirradiated, a bond in the PAG moiety breaks and an acid is generated. The fluorescence probe moiety then detects the acid and fluoresces. We call this novel mechanism a self-contained photoreaction (SCP). The photophysical properties and photoreactivity of ASNI were measured and compared with those of a prototype PAG, N-(phenylsulfonyloxy)-1,8-naphthalimide. These were well represented by density functional theory calculations. SCP permits one-step fluorescence imaging without any wet or dry developing process.