A chiral azobenzene dopant with helical twisting power has a structure represented by the following formula (I): ##STR00001##
wherein Z and Z are independently selected from the group consisting of naphthalene and phenanthrene; when Z or Z is naphthalene, the naphthalene optionally has R.sub.3 at the 6 position and R.sub.4 at the 6 position; when Z or Z is phenanthrene, the phenanthrene optionally has R.sub.3 at the 7 position and R.sub.4 at the 7 position; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 are independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, an alkoxy group having 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbons, and an aryloxy group having 6 to 20 carbons; and on any R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4, on any CH.sub.2 a CH.sub.3 is optionally attached by replacing a hydrogen on a CH.sub.2.

A chiral azobenzene dopant with helical twisting power has a structure represented by the following formula (I):

##STR00001##

wherein Z and Z are independently selected from the group consisting of naphthalene and phenanthrene; when Z or Z is naphthalene, the naphthalene optionally has R.sub.3 at the 6 position and R.sub.4 at the 6 position; when Z or Z is phenanthrene, the phenanthrene optionally has R.sub.3 at the 7 position and R.sub.4 at the 7 position; R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 are independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbons, an alkoxy group having 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbons, and an aryloxy group having 6 to 20 carbons; and on any R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4, on any CH.sub.2 a CH.sub.3 is optionally attached by replacing a hydrogen on a CH.sub.2.

The present invention relates to substituted-diazenylanilines of the formula I and their nucleotide conjugates, complexes, salts which may be used potentially as fluorescent quenchers in chemical and biological sciences such as cell imaging applications, diagnostics, fluorescent and non-fluorescent tags, pharmaceuticals and other useful applications, and a process of preparing said new compounds. More particularly, the present invention relates to 2,2-((4-((2,5-disubstituted-4-((4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)diazenyl)-2/3-substituted-phenyl)azanediyl)dialkanol, processes for preparing said compounds and their use as fluorescent quenchers in cell imaging applications, diagnostics, fluorescent and non-fluorescent tags, pharmaceuticals and other useful applications.