DiIC₁₂(3) (1,1'-Didodecyl-3,3,3',3'-Tetramethylindocarbocyanine Perchlorate)

The red-orange fluorescent, lipophilic carbocyanine DiIC₁₂(3) is a shorter-chain DiI (DiIC₁₈(3)) analog that may incorporate into membranes more easily than DiI. It is weakly fluorescent in water but highly fluorescent and quite photostable when incorporated into membranes. It has an extremely high extinction coefficient and short excited-state lifetimes (∼1 nanosecond) in lipid environments. Once applied to cells, the dye diffuses laterally within the plasma membrane.