Synthesis and characterization of new fluorinated tetrazines displaying a high fluorescence yield

•We describe the most fluorescent tetrazines to date.•Tetrazine chemistry is compatible with perfluoroalkoxy substituents.•Fluorescence yield of tetrazines can be solvent-dependant.

New tetrazines substituted with perfluorinated alkyl chains have been synthesized and their electrochemical and photophysical properties investigated under various conditions. Their fluorescence quantum yields in dichloromethane appear to be interestingly slightly higher than with classical tetrazines, placing these new derivatives among the most fluorescent tetrazines characterized to date.