Enhanced permanganate chemiluminescenceElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Comparison of peak heights and areas of intensity versus time profiles using different reagent conditions, and an examination of reagent stability. See DOI: 10.1039/c0an00588f

• Main Authors: Francis, Paul S, Hindson, Christopher M, Terry, Jessica M, Smith, Zoe M, Slezak, Teo, Adcock, Jacqui L, Fox, Bronwyn L, Barnett, Neil W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 06.12.2010
• ISSN: 0003-2654; 1364-5528
• DOI: 10.1039/c0an00588f

The significant enhancement of acidic potassium permanganate chemiluminescence by Mn( ii ) results from the concomitant presence of permanganate and Mn( iii ) in the reagent solution, which enables rapid production of the excited Mn( ii ) emitter with a wide range of analytes. Furthermore, the key Mn( iii ) co-reactant can be quickly generated by reducing permanganate with sodium thiosulfate, instead of the slow (∼24 h) equilibration required when Mn( ii ) is used. The emission from reactions with analytes such as tyrosine and fenoterol was over two orders of magnitude more intense than with the traditional permanganate reagent. The characteristic red emission from chemiluminescence reactions with the acidic potassium permanganate reagent can be enhanced by two orders of magnitude after a preliminary partial reduction with sodium thiosulfate, which will enable this rapid and highly sensitive mode of detection to be extended to a wide range of new analytes.