What is "bodipy"

BODIPY, abbreviation for boron-dipyrromethene, is a class of fluorescent dyes. It is composed of dipyrromethene complexed with a disubstituted boron atom, typically a BF unit. The IUPAC name for the BODIPY core is 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene. Due to instability of the required unsubstituted dipyrromethene precursor, the unsubstituted BODIPY dye had not been prepared until 2009. Three independent groups reported different syntheses of the title compound.