Weak Chemiluminescence of Oxidation Reactions

Abstract

WEAK chemiluminescence seems to be a phenomenon which is not only widespread among oxidations of organic substances in non-aqueous solvents where short-lived free radicals are present^1–4 but is observed also during the action of oxygen on stable radicals like triphenylmethyl and other oxygen-sensitive radicals⁵. The phenomenon still occurs more often in oxidation in aqueous solvents if molecular oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, hypohalogenites or ferricyanide are the oxidizing agents⁵. It is not limited to inorganic systems; the reactions of organic substances like semi-quinones with molecular oxygen are also accompanied by weak chemiluminescence, which is easily observable with a sensitive photomultiplier. Even living organisms such as yeast and organ-extracts, for example, cell-free centrifuged rat-liver homogenate⁵ treated with oxygen, emit photons.