1,1'-Dihexadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl indocarbocyanine perchlorate

DiIC16(3) is a lipophilic fluorescent carbocyanine dye used for long-term membrane labeling, cell tracking and neuronal tracing. It is weakly fluorescent in water but highly fluorescent and quite photostable when incorporated into membranes. It has an extremely high extinction coefficient and short excited-state lifetimes (~1 nanosecond) in lipid environments. Once applied to cells, the dye diffuses laterally within the plasma membrane. Spectral Data: Excitation max: ~ 550nm, Emission max: ~565nm (accord. Lit).