PyrAtes: Modular Organic Salts with Large Stokes Shifts for Fluo‐rescence Microscopy

The deployment of small‐molecule fluorescent agents plays an ever‐growing role in medicine and drug development. Herein, we complement the portfolio of powerful fluorophores, reporting the serendipitous discovery and development of a novel class with an imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridinium triflate core, which we term PyrAtes . These fluorophores are synthesized in a single step from readily available materials (>60 examples) and display Stokes shifts as large as 240 nm, while also reaching NIR−I emissions at λ max as long as 720 nm. Computational studies allow the development of a platform for the prediction of λ max and λ Em . Furthermore, we demonstrate the compatibility of these novel fluorophores with live cell imaging in HEK293 cells, suggesting PyrAtes as potent intracellular markers.