Patent ID: 7241897

Claim:
A process for preparing a cyanine dye labeling reagent, said process comprising the steps of: (a) providing: (i) a first intermediate compound comprising: wherein X 1 comprises carbon, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur; and (ii) a second intermediate compound comprising: wherein X 2 comprises carbon, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur; wherein at least one of R 1 through R 10 comprises a reactive group capable of forming a carbon-carbon linkage with a target, and (iii) linking reagents suitable for linking said first intermediate compound and said second intermediate compound; (b) forming a reaction mixture comprising said first intermediate compound (i), said second intermediate compound (ii), and said linking reagents under conditions to link (i) and (ii) to form wherein at least one of R 1 through R 10 comprises a reactive group capable of forming a carbon-carbon linkage with a target, wherein said reactive group comprises an alkene group, an alkyne group, or a metallo-organic compound, and wherein n is an integer of 1, 2 or 3, and wherein X 1 and X 2 independently comprise carbon, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur.