A novel chemiluminescence sensor for the determination of indomethacin based on sulfur and nitrogen co‐doped carbon quantum dot–KMnO4 reaction

We report on a simple and sensitive sulfur and nitrogen co‐doped carbon quantum dot (S,N‐CQD)‐based chemiluminescence (CL) sensor for the determination of indomethacin. S,N‐CQDs were prepared by a hydrothermal method and characterized by fluorescence spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. To obtain the best CL system for determination of indomethacin, the reaction of S,N‐CQDs with some common oxidants was studied. Among the tested systems, the S,N‐CQD–KMnO₄ reaction showed the highest sensitivity for the detection of indomethacin. Under optimum conditions, the calibration plot was linear over a concentration range of 0.1–1.5 mg L^?1, with a limit of detection (3σ) of 65 μg L^?1. The method was applied to the determination of indomethacin in environmental and biological samples with satisfactory results.     

Trace analysis of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine using luminol–H2O2 chemiluminescence system catalyzed by silver nanoparticles

N‐Acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC) can inhibit the luminol–H₂O₂, reaction, which is catalyzed by silver nanoparticles. Based on this phenomenon a new method was developed for NAC determination. Under optimum conditions, a linear relationship between chemiluminescence intensity and NAC concentration was found in the range 0.034–0.98 µg/mL. The detection limit was 0.010 µg/mL (S/N =3), and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was <5% for 0.480 µg/mL NAC (n =5). This simple, sensitive and inexpensive method has been applied to measure the concentration of NAC in pharmaceutical tablets. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemiluminescence of off‐line and on‐line gold nanoparticle‐catalyzed luminol system in the presence of flavonoid

It was found that flavonoids could remarkably inhibit the chemiluminescence (CL) intensity of an off‐line gold nanoparticle (AuNP)‐catalyzed luminol–H₂O₂ CL system. By contrast, flavonoids enhanced the CL intensity of an on‐line AuNP‐catalyzed luminol–H₂O₂ CL system. In the off‐line system, the AuNPs were prepared beforehand, whereas in the on‐line system, AuNPs were produced by on‐line mixing of luminol prepared in a buffer solution of NaHCO₃ ? Na₂CO₃ and HAuCl₄ with no need for the preliminary preparation of AuNPs. The on‐line system had prominent advantages over the off‐line system, namely a lowering of the background noise and improvements in the stability of the CL system. The results show that differences in the signal suppression effect of flavonoids on the off‐line AuNP‐catalyzed CL system are influenced by the combined action of a free radical scavenging effect and occupy‐sites function; the latter was proved to be predominant using controlled experiments. Enhancement of the on‐line system was ascribed to the presence of flavonoids promoting the on‐line formation of AuNPs, which better catalyzed the luminol–H₂O₂ CL reaction, and the enhancement activity of the six flavonoids increased with the increase in reducibility. This work broadens the scope of practical applications of an AuNP‐catalyzed CL system.     

Prospects for using a new sequential chemiluminescence strategy for monitoring the caffeine content in soft and energy drinks via the catalytic activities of different nano‐metal oxides

This article suggests a new sequential injection analysis chemiluminescence (SIA‐CL) strategy for monitoring the caffeine (CAF) content in soft and energy drinks using the catalytic activities of different nano‐metal oxides. The present study describes three different SIA‐CL systems (luminol–ferricyanide (III) coupled with Fe₂O₃ or ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), and luminol–H₂O₂ coupled with CuONPs. All experimental conditions were optimized and the linear concentration ranges of pure CAF were evaluated using the calibration graphs. The selectivity of the developed SIA‐CL systems was studied under the influence of various interfering species that may be present in soft or energy drinks such as sodium ions, sucrose, glucose, sodium benzoate, sodium citrate, riboflavin, niacin, citric, phosphoric and ascorbic acids. International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines were obeyed for the validation of the suggested CL methods. The developed SIA‐CL systems displayed linear relationships over the concentration ranges 1.0–350, 5.0–400 and 10.0–400 μg ml^?1 with Fe₂O₃ NPs, ZnO NPs and CuO NPs, respectively. The recorded lower limits of detection and quantification were 0.7, 2.7 and 7.8 μg ml^?1, and 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μg ml^?1 for the previously mentioned SIA‐CL systems. The results revealed high selectivity for CAF determination and were in good agreement with those obtained by other reported methods.     

Sulfur and nitrogen co‐doped graphene quantum dot‐assisted chemiluminescence for sensitive detection of tryptophan and mercury (II)

A simple one‐step thermal treatment to prepare strong fluorescent sulfur and nitrogen co‐doped graphene quantum dots (SN‐GQD) using citric acid and l ‐cysteine as precursors was developed. The ultra‐weak chemiluminescence (CL) from the reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and periodate (IO₄^?) was significantly enhanced by SN‐GQD in acidic medium. The enhanced CL was induced by excited‐state SN‐GQD (SN‐GQD*), which was produced from the transfer energy of (O₂)₂* and ¹O₂ to SN‐GQD and recombination of oxidant‐injected holes and electrons in SN‐GQD. In the presence of tryptophan (Trp), the CL intensity of the SN‐GQD–H₂O₂–KIO₄ system was greatly diminished. This finding was used to design a novel method for determination of Trp in the linear range 0.6–20.0 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 58.0 nM. Furthermore, Hg²⁺ was detectable in the range 0.1–9.0 μM with a LOD of 64.0 nM, based on its marked enhancement of the SN‐GQD–H₂O₂–KIO₄ CL system. The proposed method was successfully applied to detect Trp in milk and human plasma samples and Hg²⁺ in drinking water samples, with recoveries in the range 95.7–107.0%.     

Graphene‐amplified electrogenerated chemiluminescence of CdTe quantum dots for H2O2 sensing

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of thiol‐capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution was greatly enhanced by PDDA‐protected graphene (P‐GR) film that were used for the sensitive detection of H₂O₂. When the potential was cycled between 0 and ?2.3 V, two ECL peaks were observed at ?1.1 (ECL‐1) and ?1.4 V (ECL‐2) in pH 11.0, 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS), respectively. The electron‐transfer reaction between individual electrochemically‐reduced CdTe nanocrystal species and oxidant coreactants (H₂O₂ or reduced dissolved oxygen) led to the production of ECL‐1. While mass nanocrystals packed densely in the film were reduced electrochemically, assembly of reduced nanocrystal species reacted with coreactants to produce an ECL‐2 signal. ECL‐1 showed higher sensitivity for the detection of H₂O₂ concentrations than that of ECL‐2. Further, P‐GR film not only enhanced ECL intensity of CdTe QDs but also decreased its onset potential. Thus, a novel CdTe QDs ECL sensor was developed for sensing H₂O₂. Light intensity was linearly proportional to the concentration of H₂O₂ between 1.0 × 10^?5 and 2.0 x 10^‐7 mol L^?1 with a detection limit of 9.8 x 10^?8 mol L^?1. The P‐GR thin‐film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) displayed acceptable reproducibility and long‐term stability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microflow injection potassium bioassay based on G‐quadruplex DNAzyme‐enhanced chemiluminescence

By taking advantage of microflow injection chemiluminescence analysis, we developed a distinctive microfluidic bioassay method based on G‐Quadruplex DNAzyme‐enhanced chemiluminescence for the determination of K⁺ in human serum. AGRO100, the G‐rich oligonucleotide with high hemin binding affinity was primarily selected as a K⁺ recognition element. In the presence of K⁺, AGRO100 folded into G‐quadruplex and bound hemin to form DNAzyme, which catalyzed the oxidation of luminol by H₂O₂ to produce chemiluminescence. The intensity of chemiluminescence increased with the K⁺ concentration. In the study, the DNAzyme showed both long‐term stability and high catalytic activity; other common cations at their physiological concentration did not cause notable interference. With only 6.7 × 10^?13 mol of AGRO100 consumption per sample, a linear response of K⁺ ranged from 1 to 300 µmol/L, the concentration detection limit 0.69 µmol/L (S/N = 3) and the absolute detection limit 1.38 × 10^?12 mol were obtained. The precision of 10 replicate measurements of 60 µmol/L K⁺ was found to be 1.72% (relative standard deviation). The accuracy of the method was demonstrated by analyzing real human serum samples. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow‐injection chemiluminescence of the luminol–potassium periodate system enhanced by TGA–capped CdTe quantum dots for the determination of theophylline

The chemiluminescence (CL) behaviour of the luminol–potassium periodate system enhanced by CdTe quantum dots capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA–CdTe QDs) was studied using kinetic experiments, CL spectra, UV–vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra. The production of oxygen‐containing reactant intermediates (O₂^?? and OH^?) in the present CL system was verified by CL. The possible CL mechanism was discussed in detail. Furthermore, theophylline (THP) was determined based on its enhancement of the CL intensity of the CdTe QDs–luminol–potassium periodate system coupled with a flow‐injection technique. Under these optimized conditions, the linear range was found to be from 1.0 × 10^?8 to 1.0 × 10^?5 g/mL with a detection limit of 2.8 × 10^?9 g/mL (3σ). The recoveries for the determination of THP in tablets were from 98.2 to 99.6%.     

A simple and sensitive flow injection chemiluminescence immunoassay for chloramphenicol based on gold nanoparticle‐loaded enzyme

A simple and ultrasensitive flow injection chemiluminescence competitive immunoassay based on gold nanoparticle‐loaded enzyme for the detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) residues in shrimp and honey has been developed. Due to their good biocompatibility and large specific surface area, carboxylic resin beads can be used as solid phase carriers to immobilize more coating antigens (Ag). In addition, gold nanoparticles could provide an effective matrix for loading more CAP antibody and horseradish peroxidase, which would effectively catalyze the system of luminol–p‐iodophenol (PIP)–H₂O₂. A competitive immunoassay strategy was used for detection of CAP, in which CAP in the sample would compete with the coating Ag for the limited antibodies, leading to a chemiluminescence (CL) signal decrease with increase in CAP concentration. A wide linear range 0.001–10 ng ml^?1 (R² = 0.9961) was obtained under optimized conditions, and the detection limit (3σ) was calculated to be 0.33 pg ml^?1. This method was also been successfully applied to determine CAP in shrimp and honey samples. The immunosensor proposed in this study not only has the advantages of high sensitivity, wider linear range, and satisfactory stability, but also expands the application of flow injection CL immunoassay in antibiotic detection.     

A novel method for sensing of methimazole using gold nanoparticle‐catalyzed chemiluminescent reaction

Based on the inhibition effect of methimazole (MMI) on the reaction of luminol–H₂O₂ catalyzed by gold nanoparticles, a novel chemiluminescence (CL) method was developed for the determination of MMI. Under the optimum conditions, the relative CL intensity was linearly related to MMI concentration in the range from 5.0 × 10^?8 to 5.0 × 10^?5 mol L^?1. The detection limit was 1.6 × 10^?8 mol L^?1 (S/N = 3), and the RSD for 6.0 × 10^?6 mol L^?1 MMI was 4.83 (n = 11). This method has high sensitivity, wide linear range, inexpensive instrumentation and has been applied to detect MMI in pharmaceutical tablets and pig serum samples. Furthermore, a possible reaction mechanism is discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel chemiluminescent flow‐injection analysis of transferrin by its reduction of the luminol—hydrogen peroxide reaction catalysed by meso‐tetra‐(3‐methoxyl‐4‐hydroxyl) phenyl manganese porphyrin

Based on the inhibition effect of transferrin (Tf) on the reaction of the luminol–hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) chemiluminescence (CL) system, catalysed by meso‐tetra‐(3‐methoxyl‐4‐hydroxyl) phenyl manganese porphyrin (MnP) as a mimetic enzyme of peroxides, a sensitive flow‐injection CL method has been developed for the determination of Tf in an alkaline medium. The CL reaction was carefully investigated by examining the variations of reaction conditions. Under optimum conditions, the linear range for the determination of transferrin was 0.04–20.0 μg/mL and the detection limit was 1.62 ng/mL. This proposed method was sensitive, convenient and simple, and has been successfully applied to the determination of transferrin in a serum sample. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pyrophosphate as substrate for alkaline phosphatase activity: A convenient flow‐injection chemiluminescence assay

A sensitive and convenient flow‐injection chemiluminescence (FI‐CL) turn‐on assay for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity without any label and synthesis is developed. Cu²⁺ can catalyze the luminol–H₂O₂ CL reaction. Pyrophosphate (PPi) can chelate Cu²⁺ and therefore the Cu²⁺‐mediated luminol‐H₂O₂ CL reaction is inhibited. The addition of ALP can catalyze the hydrolysis of PPi into phosphate ions, Cu²⁺ is released and the chemiluminescence recovers. A detection limit of 1 mU/mL ALP is obtained.     

Employment of 4‐(1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)phenol as a signal enhancer of the chemiluminescent luminol–H2O2–horseradish peroxidase reaction for detection of hepatitis C virus in real samples

Highly sensitive detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in serum is a key method for diagnosing and classifying the extent of HCV infection. In this study, a p‐phenol derivative, 4‐(1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐yl)phenol (4‐TRP), was employed as an efficient enhancer of the luminol–hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)–horseradish peroxidase (HRP) chemiluminescence (CL) system for detection of HCV. Compared with a traditional enhancer, 4‐TRP strongly enhanced CL intensity with the effect of prolonging and stabilizing light emission. The developed CL system was applied to detecting HCV core antigen (HCV‐cAg) using a sandwich structure inside microwells. Our experimental results showed that there was good linear relationship between CL intensity and HCV‐cAg concentration in the 0.6–3.6 pg/mL range (R = 0.99). The intra‐ and inter‐assay coefficients of variation were 4.5–5.8% and 5.0–7.3%, respectively. In addition, sensitive determination of HCV‐cAg in serum samples using the luminol–H₂O₂–HRP–4‐TRP CL system was also feasible in clinical settings. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Studies of visible oscillating chemiluminescence in luminol–H2O2–KSCN–CuSO4 system using (2‐hydroxyethyl) trimethylammonium hydroxide

Visible oscillating chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol–H₂O₂–KSCN–CuSO₄ was studied using the organic base (2‐hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide. The effect of concentrations of luminol, H₂O₂, KSCN, CuSO₄ and the base were investigated in a batch reactor. This report shows how the concentration of components involved in the oscillating CL system influenced the oscillation period, light amplitude and total time of light emission. The oscillating CL with different bases was also investigated. Results indicated that using 2‐HETMAOH causes regular oscillating CL with nearly the same oscillating period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A chelate complex‐enhanced luminol system for selective determination of Co(II), Fe(II) and Cr(III)

A determination method for Co(II), Fe(II) and Cr(III) ions by luminol‐H₂O₂ system using chelating reagents is presented. A metal ion‐chelating ligand complex with a Co(II) ion and a chelating reagent like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) produced highly enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) intensity as well as longer lifetime in the luminol‐H₂O₂ system compared to metals that exist as free ions. Whereas free Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions had a strong catalytic effect on the luminol‐H₂O₂ system, significantly, the complexes of Cu(II) and Pb(II) with chelating reagents lost their catalytic activity due to the chelating reagents acting as masking agents. Based on the observed phenomenon, it was possible to determine Co(II), Fe(II) and Cr(III) ions with enhanced sensitivity and selectivity using the chelating reagents of the luminol‐H₂O₂ system. The effects of ligand, H₂O₂ concentration, pH, buffer solution and concentrations of chelating reagents on CL intensity of the luminol‐H₂O₂ system were investigated and optimized for the determination of Co(II), Fe(II) and Cr(III) ions. Under optimized conditions, the calibration curve of metal ions was linear over the range of 2.0 × 10^‐8 to 2.0 × 10^‐5 M for Co(II), 1.0 × 10^‐7 to 2.0 × 10^‐5 M for Fe (II) and 2.0 × 10^‐7 to 1.0 × 10^‐4 M for Cr(III). Limits of detection (3σ/s) were 1.2 × 10^‐8, 4.0 × 10^‐8 and 1.2 × 10^‐7 M for Co(II), Fe(II) and Cr(III), respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The determination of glutamine with flow‐injection chemiluminescence detection and mechanism study

The main purpose of this study was to develop an inexpensive, simple, rapid and sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method for the determination of glutamine (Gln) using a flow‐injection (FI) system. Gln was found to strongly inhibit the CL signal of the luminol–H₂O₂–CuSO₄ system in Na₂B₄O₇ solution. A new FI‐CL method was developed for the determination of Gln. Parameters affecting the reproducibility and CL detection were optimized systematically. Under the optimized conditions, the corresponding linear regression equation was established over the range of 5.0 × 10^?7 to 2.5 × 10^?6 mol/L with the detection limit of 1.8 × 10^?8 mol/L. The relative standard deviation was found to be 1.8% for 11 replicate determinations of 1.5 × 10^?6 mol/L Gln. The proposed method has been satisfactorily applied for the determination of Gln in real samples (Marzulene‐s granules) with recoveries in the range of 98.7–108.6%. The minimum sampling rate was about 100 samples/h. The possible mechanism of this inhibitory CL was studied by fluorescence spectrophotometer and UV–vis spectrophotometer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of isoniazid and p‐aminosalicylic acid by capillary electrophoresis using chemiluminescence detection

It was found that isoniazid (ISO) or p‐aminosalicylic acid (PAS) could enhance the chemiluminescence (CL) emission from Cu (II)‐luminol‐hydrogen peroxide system, and the increased chemiluminescence signals were proportional to their concentrations, respectively. Based on this phenomenon, a chemiluminescence method coupled to capillary electrophoresis (CE) was established for simultaneous determination of ISO and PAS. The CE conditions including running buffer and running voltage were investigated in detail. The effects of the pH of H₂O₂ solution and the concentrations of luminol, H₂O₂ and Cu (II) on the CL signal were also investigated carefully. Under the optimized conditions, the analysis could be accomplished within 10 min, with the limits of detection of 0.3 µg mL^–1 for ISO and 1.1 µg mL^–1 for PAS, corresponding to 7.2 and 26.4 pg per injection (24 nL), respectively. Finally, the method was validated by determining the two analytes in pharmaceutical preparation and spiked human serum samples. The results of pharmaceutical tablet analysis were in good agreement with the labeled amounts. The recoveries for ISO and PAS in human serum were in the range of 92–104% and 90–113%, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A stopped‐flow study of the dual chemiluminescence for the luminol–KIO4–Mn2+ system in strong alkaline solutions

A novel phenomenon of dual chemiluminescence (CL) was observed for the KIO₄–luminol–Mn²⁺ system in strong alkaline solutions using the stopped‐flow technique. Scavenging study of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) suggested that the two CL peaks originated from different CL pathways precipated by distinct ROS (O₂^? and ^?OH for the first peak, mainly ¹O₂ for the second peak). Generation of these ROS at different time intervals from the reactions involving IO₄^?, O₂, and Mn²⁺ and their subsequent reactions with luminol induced the intense CL emission. The relative intensity of the two CL peaks can be tuned over a wide range by varying the concentrations of Mn^2?, luminol and KIO₄. Because of the involvement of different ROS in each pathway, the two CL peaks could respond quite differently to various substances. Moreover, variation of the intensity ratio of the two CL peaks altered the relative proportions of the corresponding ROS, thereby changing their responses to a given substance. The dual CL emission acts like a pair of tunable probes and it is believed that this CL system has great potential in analytical applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Copper nanocluster‐enhanced luminol chemiluminescence for high‐selectivity sensing of tryptophan and phenylalanine

A remarkable method for the highly sensitive detection of phenylalanine and tryptophan based on a chemiluminescence (CL) assay was reported. It was found that fluorescent copper nanoclusters capped with cysteine (Cys‐CuNCs) strongly enhance the weak CL signal resulting from the reaction between luminol and H₂O₂. Of the amino acids tested, phenylalanine and tryptophan could enhance the above CL system sensitively. Under optimum conditions, this method was satisfactorily described by a linear calibration curve over a range of 1.0 × 10^?6 to 2.7 × 10^?5 M for phenylalanine and 1.0 × 10^?7 to 3.0 × 10^?5 M for tryptophan, respectively. The effect of various parameters such as Cys‐CuNC concentration, H₂O₂ concentration and pH on the intensity of the CL system were also studied. The main experimental advantage of the proposed method was its selectivity for two amino acids compared with others. To evaluate the applicability of the method to the analysis of a real biological sample it was used to determine tryptophan and phenylalanine in human serum and remarkable results were obtained.     

Kinetic simulation studies on the transient formation of the oxo‐iron(IV) porphyrin radical cation during the reaction of iron(III) tetrakis‐5,10,15,20‐(N‐methyl‐4‐pyridyl)‐porphyrin with hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution

High‐valent oxo‐iron(IV) species are commonly proposed as the key intermediates in the catalytic mechanisms of iron enzymes. Water‐soluble iron(III) tetrakis‐5,10,15,20‐(N‐methyl‐4‐pyridyl)porphyrin (Fe(III)TMPyP) has been used as a model of heme‐enzyme to catalyse the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) oxidation of various organic compounds. However, the mechanism of the reaction of Fe(III)TMPyP with H₂O₂ has not been fully established. In this study, we have explored the kinetic simulation of the reaction of Fe(III)TMPyP with H₂O₂ and of the catalytic reactivity of FeTMPyP in the luminescent peroxidation of luminol. According to the mechanism that has been established in this work, Fe(III)TMPyP is oxidized by H₂O₂ to produce (TMPyP)^·+Fe(IV)=O (k1 = 4.5 × 10⁴/mol/L/s) as a precursor of TMPyPFe(IV)=O. The intermediate, (TMPyP)^·+Fe(IV)=O, represented nearly 2% of Fe(III)TMPyP but it does not accumulate in suf?cient concentration to be detected because its decay rate is too fast. Kinetic simulations showed that the proposed scheme is capable of reproducing the observed time courses of FeTMPyP in various oxidation states and the decay pro?les of the luminol chemiluminescence. It also shows that (TMPyP)^·+Fe(IV)=O is 100 times more reactive than TMPyPFe(IV)=O in most of the reactions. These two species are responsible for the initial sharp and the sustained luminol emissions, respectively. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.