Lucigenin energy transfer

Lucigenin 71 chemiluminescence is more complicated than that of luminol and related compounds due to the presence in the reaction mixture of several species capable of emission 135>. N-Methylacridone 72, however, has been established as the primary excited product (for references see 0 p. 90) from which energy transfer occurs to the other species 3>. 

As early as 1943 Kautsky [18] provided experimental evidence for such an energy transfer in the lucigenin chemiluminescence. 

It is assumed that the primary excited N>methyl acridone is solubilized in the micelle. Thus energy transfer to other acridine derivatives, present in the alkaline solution, is inhibited. The N-methyl acridone spectrum is visible in the lucigenin chemiluminescence emission when CTAB is present, relatively unaffected by the more usual accompanying green emission. 

This reaction can be used to demonstrate energy transfer by adding fluorescen or rhodamine B (about 20 mg of each on the scales given in 10 ml. H2O and ethanol respectively). However, lucigenin (see later) is much more suitable for this purpose since it lasts longer. 

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