Patent ID: 8173692

Claim:
In a method of detecting cells or particles by flow cytometry, wherein said cells or particles are labeled with a detectable luminescent compound, the improvement comprising utilizing a bacteriochlorin as the luminescent compound, wherein said bacteriochlorin is a compound of Formula I: wherein: M is a metal or is absent; X is NH; R 1 and R 2 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, halo, mercapto, cyano, hydroxyl, nitro, acyl, alkylthio, alkylamino, acyloxy, and —C(O)NR a R b where R a and R b are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl; R 3 and R 4 are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, and arylalkyl; R 5 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, arylalkenyl, arylalkynyl, alkoxy, halo, cyano, nitro, acyl, alkylthio, alkylamino, arylalkylamino, disubstituted amino, acylamino, acyloxy, and —C(O)NR a R b where R a and R b are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl; and R 6 and R 7 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, arylalkenyl, arylalkynyl, halo, cyano, nitro, acyl, alkoxy, alkylthio, alkylamino, arylalkylamino, disubstituted amino, acylamino, acyloxy, —C(O)NR a R b where R a and R b are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl, —C(O)OR c where R c is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl, and C(O)OH.