Fig. 14.
Smart tetrazine conjugates containing flexible linkers and well-suited for imaging alkenes in biological systems. (A) BODIPY-tetrazine conjugate 32. As the tetrazine is consumed by cycloaddition to form 33, FRET quenching is relieved and fluorescence is restored. (B) A tetramethylrhodamine-tetrazine conjugate. (C) Carboxyfluorescein diacetate-tetrazine conjugate 35. The acetates are cleaved by intracellular esterases to reveal the free fluorescein 36. Spectroscopic properties correspond to cycloaddition products of the corresponding tetrazine probes.