What is Alexa Fluor 647 similar to?

Alexa Fluor 647 Similarities

Alexa Fluor 647 is a fluorescent dye widely used in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology for various applications such as flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and Western blotting. It is known for its high photostability and brightness. For encyclopedia purposes, it's important to understand the dyes similar to Alexa Fluor 647 in terms of their spectral properties and applications.

Similar Dyes

• Cy5 - Cy5 is one of the most comparable dyes to Alexa Fluor 647. Both have similar excitation and emission wavelengths, making them almost interchangeable in many applications. However, Alexa Fluor 647 is often preferred due to its enhanced photostability and brightness.
• DyLight 649 - DyLight 649 is another dye with spectral properties close to those of Alexa Fluor 647. It is used in a variety of biological labeling and detection applications, offering good photostability and brightness.
• IRDye 650 - IRDye 650 is similar in its near-infrared region absorption and emission, making it suitable for applications where minimal background fluorescence is desired. It is often used in in vivo imaging and Western blotting.

While these dyes share similar excitation and emission wavelengths with Alexa Fluor 647, differences in their chemical structure can lead to variations in their photostability, brightness, and compatibility with different solvents and biomolecules. Therefore, the choice of dye depends on the specific requirements of the experiment or application.