Spectroscopic studies of a near-infrared absorbing pH sensitive carbocyanine dye

Near-infrared dyes can be derivatized with appropriate functional groups for use as analytical probes for numerous applications. A dye derivatized with pH-sensitive functional groups may show spectral changes when the pH of its environment is changed. These dyes are valuable to the researcher since they absorb and fluoresce at long wavelengths where interference is minimal and their absorption maxima permit the use of semiconductor lasers. In this paper we have evaluated the sensitivity to pH of a bis-carboxylic acid derivative of a near infrared dye to illustrate its potential as a probe for determining pH. The dye has an absorption maximum at 795 nm in aqueous solution, a region where several commercially available laser diodes have their output maximum. The analytical utility of near-infrared laser diodes for pH determination has also been evaluated.