Red Fluorescence Comes in Small Packages

Significance

The authors communicate the synthesis and characterization of some remarkably simple fluorophores. These compounds, ranging in (emission) color from blue to red, possess only a single benzene ring and are easily derived from commercial starting materials. A clear trend of longer emission wavelengths with increasing ­electron-withdrawing character of the olefin is ­observed. Unfortunately, the reported quantum yields (65-100% in the thin film) do not seem to be in accord with the emission spectra, which seem too broad to have quantum yields approaching unity.