Benzocyanine compounds

A compound selected from the group consisting of

• where
• each of R1, R2, R5, and R6 is the same or different and is independently selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic, heteroaliphatic, sulfoalkyl, heteroaliphatic with terminal SO3, a PEG group P—Z where P is selected from an ethylene glycol group, a diethylene glycol group, and a (poly)ethylene glycol group, where the (poly)ethylene glycol group is (CH2CH2O)s, where s is an integer from 3-6 inclusive, a sulfonamide group -L-SO2NH—P—Z, and a caboxamide group -L-CONH—P—Z, where Z is selected from H, CH3, a CH3 group, an alkyl group, or a heteroalkyl group;
• each of R7, R8, R11, R12, R13, and R14 is the same or different and is independently selected from the group consisting of H, SO3, a PEG group P—Z where P is selected from an ethylene glycol group, a diethylene glycol group, and a (poly)ethylene glycol group, where the (poly)ethylene glycol group is (CH2CH2O)s, where s is an integer from 3-6 inclusive, a sulfonamide-containing group -L-SO2NH—P—Z, and a carboxamide-containing group -L-CONH—P—Z, where Z is selected from H, CH3, a CH3 group, an alkyl group, or a heteroalkyl group;
• X is selected from —OH, —SH, —NH2, —NH—NH2, —F, —Cl, —Br, —I, —NHS (hydroxysuccinimidyl/sulfosuccinimidyl), —O-TFP (2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxy), —O-STP (4-sulfo-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxy), —O-benzotriazole, -benzotriazole, imidazole, azide, —O-carbodiimide, —NR-L-OH, —NR-L-O-phosphoramidite, —NR-L-SH, —NR-L-NH2, —NR-L-NH—NH2, —NR-L-CO2H, —NR-L-CO—NHS, —NR-L-CO-STP, —NR-L-CO-TFP, —NR-L-CO-benzotriazole, —NR-L-CHO, —NR-L-maleimide, —NR-L-NH—CO—CH2—I, or —NR-L-NH—CO—CH2—Br wherein R is —H or an aliphatic or heteroaliphatic group;
• L is selected from a divalent linear (—(CH2)t—, t=0 to 15), crossed, or cyclic alkyl group optionally substituted by at least one oxygen atom and/or sulfur atom;
• Kat is a number of Na+, K+, Ca2+, ammonia, or other cation(s) needed to compensate the negative charge brought by the cyanine;
• m is an integer from 0 to 5 inclusive;
• p is an integer from 1 to 6 inclusive;
• each of R3 and R4 is the same or different and is independently hydrogen, an aliphatic group, a heteroaliphatic group, or a PEG group P—Z where P is selected from an ethylene glycol group, a diethylene glycol group, and a (poly)ethylene glycol group, where the (poly)ethylene glycol group is (CH2CH2O)s, where s is an integer from 3-6 inclusive, and Z is selected from H, a CH3 group, an alkyl group, or a heteroalkyl group;
• or R3 and R4 together form a cyclic structure where R3 and R4 are joined using a divalent structural element selected from the group consisting of —(CH2)q—, —(CH2)qO(CH2)q′—, —(CH2)qS(CH2)q′—, —(CH2)qCH═CH—, —OCH═CH— where each of q and q′ is the same or different and is a integer from 2 to 6 inclusive;
• and
• Y is an oxygen-containing group ORPM, where RPM is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroalkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted cyclic alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic alkyl group, a substituted aryl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaryl group, where the group can be substituted one or more times with one or more of the following groups:
• hydroxyl, sulfo, carboxy, and/or amino.