Fluorescence Lifetime Standards

The table of lifetime standards provides you with lifetime data on standard fluorophores that have single-exponential decays. These data can be used to test your lifetime instrumentation for systematic errors. For convenience we have divided them into nanosecond and picosecond standards. Please if you require additional information.

Nanosecond Lifetime Standards	Lifetime [ns]	Conditions for Lifetime Measurement	Excitation [nm]	Emission [nm]	Ref.
NADH	0.4	0.1 M PB 7.4, 20°C	330-370	400-600	1
NATA	3.0	0.1 M PB 7.0, 20°C	275	310-400	1
p-Terphenyl	1.05	Ethanol	280-320	310-412	2
PPD	1.20	Ethanol	240-340	310-440	2
PPO	1.4	Ethanol	280-350	330-480	2
POPOP	1.35	Ethanol Abs.	280-390	370-540	2
Dimethyl-POPOP	1.45	Ethanol	300-400	390-560	2
2-Aminopurine	11.34	Water	290	380	2
L-Tyrosine	3.27	Water	285	300	2
Anthranilic Acid	8.9	Water	290	400	2
Indole	4.49	Water	290	360	2
Fluorescein, dianion	4.1±0.1	NaOH/Water	400	490-520	3
Rhodamine B	1.7	Water	400	583	3

PB = phosphate buffer
NATA = N-Acetyl-L-tryptophanamide
PPD = 1.5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole
PPO = 2.5-diphenyl-oxazole
POPOP = 1, 4-bis(5-phenyloxazole-2-yl)benzene

Picosecond Lifetime Standards	Lifetime [ps]	Conditions for Lifetime Measurement	Excitation [nm]	Emission [nm]	Ref.
DMS	880	Cyclohexane, 25°C	280-375	375-475	2
DFS	328	Cyclohexane, 25°C	280-375	375-450	2
DBS	176	Cyclohexane, 25°C	280-385	375-475	2
DCS	66	Cyclohexane, 25°C	280-420	300-500	2
Rose Bengal	519	Methanol, 25°C	556	572	2

DMS = 4-dimethylamino-4-methoxystilbene
DFS = 4-dimethylamino-4-fluorostilbene
DBS = 4-dimethylamino-4-bromostilbene
DCS = 4-dimethylamino-4-cyanostilbene

References:

J.R. Lakowicz, Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, 1^st Ed., Plenum Press, New York, London, 1983.
J.R. Lakowicz, Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy, 2^nd Ed., Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, London, Moscow, Dordrecht, 1999.
D. Magde, G.E. Rojas, and P. Seybold, Solvent Dependence of the Fluorescence Lifetimes of Xanthene Dyes. Photochem. Photobiol. 70, 737, 1999.