Mix-n-Stain™ CF® Dye Small Ligand Labeling Kits

See our CF® Dye Quick Reference Table for a list of dyes and summary of their features. Our CF® Dye Selection Guide has more detailed information on each CF® dye, and ordering information for our various CF® dye product lines. You can download CF® dye normalized absorption and emission data in Excel format.

Category: Mix-n-Stain™ Antibody Labeling Kits, CF® Dyes

For CF® dye, cyanine dye, FITC, biotin, DNP, and dig kits, see the Mix-n-Stain™ Kit Compatibility and Protocol Selection Flowchart, below. We also recommend downloading the updated Product Protocol and completing the pre-labeling checklist to find the right protocol and kit size to use for each antibody you wish to label. Learn more about CF® dyes on our CF® Dye Technology Page, or download the CF® Dye Brochure.

Note that Mix-n-Stain™ Maxi 1 mg Scale Kits, Mix-n-Stain™ Fluorescent Protein Labeling Kits (R-PE, APC, PerCP, or tandem dye), Mix-n-Stain™ Enzyme Labeling Kits (AP, HRP, GOx) have different compatibility requirements and labeling protocols. Check the protocol for your kit to verify that your antibody is compatible with labeling, then choose a kit size that matches your the amount of antibody you wish to label.

Category: Mix-n-Stain™ Antibody Labeling Kits

CF® dyes are highly water soluble, small organic dyes designed by scientists at Biotium for labeling proteins and nucleic acids. With a series of over 20 colors (and growing), many of our CF® dyes are brighter and more photostable than competing dyes. For more information please see the product flyers for individual CF® dyes, the CF® Dye Selection Guide, and our CF® Dye FAQs.

Category: Mix-n-Stain™ Antibody Labeling Kits

The exact chemical structures of CF® dyes are currently confidential but will be fully disclosed at a later stage when pending patents become granted. In general terms, the structure of a CF® dye may be divided into two parts: a) dye core structure (i.e. the aromatic ring skeleton that defines the dye’s color or absorption/emission wavelengths), and b) core structure-modifying elements. At present, CF® dyes bear the core structures of coumarin, pyrene, rhodamine or cyanine dyes. Blue fluorescent CF® dyes are based on coumarin or pyrene dye core structure, while green to near-IR CF® dyes are based on either cyanine or rhodamine dye core structures. Core structure-modifying elements refer to various chemical attachments to the core structure and are a key aspect of the CF® dye invention that makes CF® dyes superior to other commercial dyes.

Category: CF® Dyes

CF® initially was an abbreviation for Cyanine-based Fluorescent dyes. These were the first patented CF® dyes based on cyanine dye structures. Since then, our CF® dye patent portfolio has expanded to include four different fluorescent dye core structures that cover the fluorescence spectrum from UV to NIR.

Category: CF® Dyes

All three of these dyes can be excited by the 405 nm laser (or UV mercury lamp). They differ in their emission wavelengths. CF®405S has blue fluorescence emission at 431 nm, similar to AlexaFluor® 405, Cascade Blue®, and DyLight™ 405 (Thermo Scientific). CF®405M has longer wavelength blue fluorescence emission at 452 nm, similar to Horizon™ V450 (BD Biosciences) and Pacific Blue® (Thermo Scientific). CF®405L has orange fluorescence emission at 545 nm, similar to Pacific Orange® (Thermo Scientific). We recommend choosing the dye that best fits your instrument’s detection settings. See our CF® Dye Quick Reference Table and CF® Dye Selection Guide for more information on CF® dyes.

Category: CF® Dyes