Nile red
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nile red | |
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| IUPAC name | 7-diethylamino-3,4-benzophenoxazine-2-one |
| Other names | Nile red, Nile blue oxazone |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | [7385-67-3] |
| PubChem | |
| SMILES | CCN(CC)C1=CC2=C(C=C1)N= C3C4=CC=CC=C4C(=O)C=C3O2 |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C20H18N2O2 |
| Molar mass | 318.369 g/mol |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references |
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Nile red (also known as Nile blue oxazone) is a lipophilic stain. It is produced by boiling a solution of Nile blue with sulfuric acid. As can be seen from the structural formulae, this process replaces an amino group with a carbonyl group. Nile red stains intracellular lipid droplets red. Nile red is also intensely fluorescent, with a strong yellow-gold emission when in a lipid-rich environment.
Since the reaction to generate Nile red does not usually completely exhaust the supply of Nile blue, additional separation steps are required if pure Nile red is needed.
