Synthesis of new bifluorophoric probes adapted to studies of donor-donor electronic energy transfer in lipid systems

A series of bifluorophoric fluorescent probes with identical pairs of chromophores have been synthesized. The fluorophores are 9-anthryl, 3-perylenyl and rhodamine 101, and they are separated by a long rigid (bisteroid) or flexible (dotriacontane) diol spacer. The probes are designed for studies of intra- and intermolecular electronic energy transfer in lipid systems such as model and biological membranes. They are shown to incorporate in phosphatidylcholine vesicles with an hitherto unknown orientation.