Peroxyoxalate reaction mechanism

In order to optimize the chemiluminescence response, we have investigated the mechanism of the complex reactions leading to chemical generation of chemiluminescence. A new peroxyoxalate-hydrogen peroxide reaction mechanism has emerged from our preliminary studies on the five contributing factors listed above. Two kinetic models are discussed, one for the... 

Nevertheless, there are two highly efficient CL systems which are believed to involve the CIEEL mechanism in the chemiexcitation step, i.e. the peroxyoxalate reaction and the electron transfer initiated decomposition of properly substituted 1,2-dioxetanes (Table 1)17,26 We have recently confirmed the high quantum yields of the peroxyoxalate system and obtained experimental evidence for the validity of the CIEEL hypothesis as the excitation mechanism in this reaction. The catalyzed decomposition of protected phenoxyl-substituted 1,2-dioxetanes is believed to be initiated by an intramolecular electron transfer, analogously to the intermolecular CIEEL mechanism. Therefore, these two highly efficient systems demonstrate the feasibility of efficient excited-state formation by subsequent electron transfer, chemical transformation (cleavage) and back-electron transfer steps, as proposed in the CIEEL hypothesis. 

The second system to be described is the CL obtained in the transformation of lucigenin and related derivatives here, too, the mechanisms which lead to chemiexcitation are still discussed in the literature. Finally, we will concentrate our discussion on one of the most efficient CL systems known, the peroxyoxalate reaction. After a brief discussion of kinetic results obtained with the different peroxyoxalate substrates, we will focus mainly on studies which attempt to elucidate the structure of the high-energy intermediate in these reactions and describe the experimental evidence obtained with respect to the mechanism of the excitation step. 

In this part of the chapter, we will focus essentially on mechanistic aspects of the peroxyoxalate reaction. For the discussion of the most important advances in mechanistic aspects of this chemiluminescent system, covering mainly literature reports published in the last two decades, we will divide the sequence operationally into three main parts (i) the kinetics of chemical reactions that take place before chemiexcitation, which ultimately produce the high-energy intermediate (HEI) (ii) the efforts to elucidate the structure of the proposed HEIs, either attempting to trap and synthesize them, or by indirect spectroscopic studies and lastly, (iii) the mechanism involved in chemiexcitation, whereby the interaction of the HEI with the activator leads to the formation of the electronically excited state of the latter, followed by fluorescence emission and decay to the ground state. 

The peroxyoxalate system is the only intermolecular chemiluminescent reaction presumably involving the (71EEL sequence (Scheme 44), which shows high singlet excitation yields (4>s), as confirmed independently by several authors Moreover, Stevani and coworkers reported a correlation between the singlet quantum yields, extrapolated to infinite activator concentrations (4> ), and the free energy involved in back electron-transfer (AG bet), as well as between the catalytic electron-transfer/deactivation rate constants ratio, ln( cAx( i3), and E j2° (see Section V). A linear correlation of ln( cAx( i3) and E /2° was obtained for the peroxyoxalate reaction with TCPO and H2O2 catalyzed by imidazole and for the imidazole-catalyzed reaction of 57, both in the presence of five activators commonly used in CIEEL studies (anthracene, DPA, PPO, perylene and rubrene). A further confirmation of the validity of the CIEEL mechanism in the excitation step of... 

The exact reaction mechanism is not known. It can however be assumed that the oxalate esters are first oxidised by the H2O2 to peroxyoxalate, which is then converted to the dioxethanedione. This forms a charge-transfer complex with the dye, and the complex decomposes to give CO2 and the dye in an excited state. Light is emitted when the dye molecule returns to the ground state. 

A simplifled mechanism for oxalate ester chemiluminescence is shown in Fig. 46, which is essentially a two-step reaction. Attack by peroxide on the ester produces an excited-state, 1,2-dioxetaneone via a peroxyoxalate intermediate, which breaks down in the presence of a suitable fluorophore to give carbon dioxide plus an excited-state fluorophore, which, in turn, emits light. The scheme depicted in Fig. 46 is an oversimplification and the true reaction mechanism continues to attract much attention (AlO, Cll, Cl la, G8, 05). 

The mechanism of chemiluminescence is still being studied and most mechanistic interpretations should be regarded as tentative. Nevertheless, most chemiluminescent reactions can be classified into (/) peroxide decomposition, including biolurninescence and peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (2) singlet oxygen chemiluminescence and (J) ion radical or electron-transfer chemiluminescence, which includes electrochemiluminescence. 

Peroxyoxalate. The chemical activation of a fluorescer by the reactions of hydrogen peroxide, a catalyst, and an oxalate ester has been the object of several mechanism studies. It was first proposed in 1967 that peroxyoxalate (26) was converted to dioxetanedione (27), a highly unstable intermediate which served as the chemical activator of the fluorescer (fir) (6,9). 

Though we and others (27-29) have demonstrated the utility and the improved sensitivity of the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence method for analyte detection in RP-HPLC separations for appropriate substrates, a substantial area for Improvement and refinement of the technique remains. We have shown that the reactions of hydrogen peroxide and oxalate esters yield a very complex array of reactive intermediates, some of which activate the fluorophor to its fluorescent state. The mechanism for the ester reaction as well as the process for conversion of the chemical potential energy into electronic (excited state) energy remain to be detailed. Finally, the refinement of the technique for routine application of this sensitive method, including the optimization of the effi-ciencies for each of the contributing factors, is currently a major effort in the Center for Bioanalytical Research. 

In the gas and liquid phases, very well-established CL reactions exist that have been chronologically introduced in Chapter 1, together with their mechanisms they will be treated in different chapters of this book. Particularly, some chapters include descriptions of the CL systems and applications in the liquid phase in organic and inorganic analysis (Chapters 5 and 6, respectively), for BL systems (Chapter 10) applications derived from the use of organized media (Chapter 11) the specific study of the mechanism and applications of a widely applied CL system based on the reaction of peroxyoxalates (Chapter 7) kinetics... 

The most commonplace substrates in energy-transfer analytical CL methods are aryl oxalates such as to(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate (TCPO) and z s(2,4-dinitrophenyl) oxalate (DNPO), which are oxidized with hydrogen peroxide [7, 8], In this process, which is known as the peroxyoxalate-CL (PO-CL) reaction, the fluorophore analyte is a native or derivatized fluorescent organic substance such as a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon, dansylamino acid, carboxylic acid, phenothiazine, or catecholamines, for example. The mechanism of the reaction between aryl oxalates and hydrogen peroxide is believed to generate dioxetane-l,2-dione, which may itself decompose to yield an excited-state species. Its interaction with a suitable fluorophore results in energy transfer to the fluorophore, and the subsequent emission can be exploited to develop analytical CL-based determinations. 

A review of chemiluminescent and bioluminescent methods in analytical chemistry has been given by Kricka and Thorpe. A two-phase flow cell for chemiluminescence and bioluminescencc has been designed by Mullin and Seitz. The chemiluminescence mechanisms of cyclic hydrazides, such as luminol, have been extensively analysed. " Fluorescence quantum yields of some phenyl and phenylethynyl aromatic compounds in peroxylate systems have been determined in benzene. Excited triplet states from dismutation of geminate alkoxyl radical pairs are involved in chemiluminescence from hyponitrite esters. Ruorophor-labelled compounds can be determined by a method based on peroxyoxalate-induced chemiluminescence. Fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra of firefly have been used to identify the multiplicity of the emitting species. " The chemiluminescence and e.s.r. of plasma-irradiated saccharides and the relationship between lyoluminescence and radical reaction rate constants have also been investigated. Electroluminescence from poly(vinylcarbazole) films has been reported in a series of four... 

Bos R, Barnett NW, Dyson GA, Lim KF, Russell RA, Watson SP. Studies on the mechanism of the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction part 1 confirmation of 1,2-dioxetanedione as an intermediate using C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Anal Chem Acta. 2004 502 141-7. 

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