Biomimetic analogues 1 of the microbial siderophore (iron carrier) ferrichrome were labeled via piperazine with various fluorescent markers at a site not interfering with iron binding or receptor recognition (compounds 10-12). These iron carriers were built from a tetrahedral carbon symmetrically extended with three strands, each containing an amino acid (G= glycyl, A= alanyl, L= leucyl and P= phenylalanyl) and terminated by a hydroxamic acid, ...
