Two-Step Strategy to Design Organo-Fluorophore: Engaging Palladium Catalysis for Carbo-Oxygenative Cyclization of Chloroprene Derivatives

Herein, we present a two-step protocol for the synthesis of an organo-fluorophore using palladium-catalyzed carbo-oxygenative cyclization of chloroprene derivatives. Protocol is well-tolerated with a broad substrate scope and is feasible at gram-scale synthesis. Mechanistic studies were conducted using H2O18 labeling and density functional theory (DFT) analysis. Notably, organofluorophores show strong photoluminescence and fluorescence lifetimes along with notable redox potential. Furthermore, cell viability studies showed low toxicity and high selectivity for lysosomes, making them promising candidates for green lysotracker imaging agents.