Mix-n-Stain™ CF® Dye Small Ligand 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.

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.

See the Mix-n-Stain™ Kit Selection Guide, below:

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.

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.

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.