4-Chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan is used as a derivatizing reagent for chromatography analysis of amino acids and low molecular weight amines. It is utilized in the preparation of fluorescent phospholipid-derivative, hydroxynaphthofurazan and 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan- didecanoylphosphatidylethanolamine. It serves as a fluorescent reagent to label free sulfhydryls and N-terminals within proteins and trapping agent for cysteine sulfenic acid. It is a sensitive chromogenic and fluorogenic reagent. It reacts with trans-1-methoxy-3-(trimethylsilyloxy)-1,3-butadiene (Danishefsky's diene) to prepare regioselectively the silyl enol ether. Further, it is used to label peptides, proteins and other biomolecules. In addition it is used in the synthesis of fluorescent phospholipid-derivative, NBD-didecanoylphosphatidylethanolamine, functionalized hydroxynaphthofurazan and 7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD)-labeled maleimide.
