Application of chemiluminescence in the analysis of wastewaters – A review

Nanozyme-Based Biofuel Cell Ingeniously Coupled with Luminol Chemiluminescence System through In Situ Co-Reactant Generation for Dual-Signal Biosensing

Classical luminol-based chemiluminescence (CL) is the process of emitting light enhanced by the addition of coreactant hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). To address the instability issue of H2O2 decomposition, herein, we proposed a nanozyme-based biofuel cell (BFC) ingeniously coupled with a luminol CL system via in situ generation of H2O2. Specifically, the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) nanozyme with glucose oxidase-like activity can act as the anodic enzyme of BFC to catalyze the oxidation of glucose to produce H2O2 and electrons. In this case, H2O2 as a coreactant enhanced the CL intensity and the cathode of the BFC obtained electrons to generate the open circuit voltage (EOCV) signals. As a result, a dual-signal biosensing platform was successfully constructed. Interestingly, the AuNPs-catalyzed system operates in an alkaline medium, which precisely meets the pH requirement for luminol luminescence. Such a BFC-CL system not only greatly lessens the effect of unstable exogenous H2O2 on the signal stability but also enhances the CL of luminol. Furthermore, both CL and EOCV signals present a positive correlation with the glucose concentration. Therefore, this novel BFC-CL system shows good performance for dual-signal biosensing, which would serve as a valuable guideline for the design and application of BFC-based self-powered or CL biosensors.

Transparent Cross-Flow Platform as Chemiluminescence Detection Cell in Cross Injection Analysis

This work presents the use of a transparent 'Cross Injection Analysis' (CIA) platform as a flow system for chemiluminescence (CL) measurements. The CL-CIA flow device incorporates introduction channels for samples and reagents, and the reaction and detection channels are in one acrylic unit. A photomultiplier tube placed above the reaction channel detects the emitted luminescence. The system was applied to the analysis of (i) Co(II) via the Co(II)-catalyzed H₂O₂-luminol reaction and (ii) paracetamol via its inhibitory effect on the catalytic activity of Fe(CN)₆^3- on the H₂O₂-luminol reaction. A linear calibration was obtained for Co(II) in the range of 0.002 to 0.025 mg L^-1 Co(II) (r² = 0.9977) for the determination of Co(II) in water samples. The linear calibration obtained for the paracetamol was 10 to 200 mg L^-1 (r² = 0.9906) for the determination of pharmaceutical products. The sample throughput was 60 samples h^-1. The precision was ≤4.2% RSD. The consumption of the samples and reagents was ca. 170 µL per analysis cycle.

Determination of organophosphate flame retardant tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphine based on the luminol-H2 O2 chemiluminescence system

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) are new types of environmental pollutants, therefore the rapid and sensitive detection of OPFRs is a very important objective. A new experimental phenomenon was found in which tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphine (TCEP), a type of OPFR, could effectively enhance the signal of the luminol-H₂ O₂ chemiluminescence (CL) system. Combined with the controllability of flow injection analysis, a rapid, stable, and sensitive CL method was established. The CL intensity responded linearly to the concentration of TCEP in the range 0.5-100 μg/L (R²  = 0.999) with a low detection limit of 33 ng/L. Relative standard deviation (RSD) was 2.2% (n = 7, c = 100 μg/L). Water samples were labelled and recycled with RSDs of 1.1-5.7% and recoveries of 88.7-116.1%. Based on these results, this study established a new CL detection method for the environmental pollutant TCEP.

A chemiluminescence sensor array for discrimination of seven toxicants

A chemiluminescence (CL) sensor array was developed based on 11 CL systems cross-combined by three luminescence reagents and four oxidants. Using the CL sensor array, we measured seven toxicants, including morphine, ketamine, diazepam, chlorpromazine, strychnine, paraquat, and fenpropathrin, which represent psychotropic drugs, sedatives and hypnotics, rodenticides, herbicides, and insecticides, respectively. The CL response pattern or 'fingerprints' were obtained for a given compound on the sensor array and then discriminated through principal component analysis. The established sensor array has been applied to real-life samples and the results showed that it possesses excellent discrimination.

Development and perspectives of rapid detection technology in food and environment

Food safety become a hot issue currently with globalization of food trade and food supply chains. Chemical pollution, microbial contamination and adulteration in food have attracted more attention worldwide. Contamination with antibiotics, estrogens and heavy metals in water environment and soil environment have also turn into an enormous threat to food safety. Traditional small-scale, long-term detection technologies have been unable to meet the current needs. In the monitoring process, rapid, convenient, accurate analysis and detection technologies have become the future development trend. We critically synthesizing the current knowledge of various rapid detection technology, and briefly touched upon the problem which still exist in research process. The review showed that the application of novel materials promotes the development of rapid detection technology, high-throughput and portability would be popular study directions in the future. Of course, the ultimate aim of the research is how to industrialization these technologies and apply to the market.

Determination of Nalbuphine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Formulations Using Diperiodatoargentate(III)-Rhodamine-B Chemiluminescence System by Flow Injection Analysis

A novel method for the analysis of nalbuphine hydrochloride (NAL) is reported based on its enhancement effect on a diperiodatoargentate(III)-rhodamine-B (Ag(III) complex-Rh-B) chemiluminescence (CL) system in an aqueous sulfuric acid medium using flow-injection analysis (FIA). The optimal conditions of the CL reaction were: sulfuric acid, 10^-2 M; Ag(III) complex, 2.0 × 10^-4 M; Rh-B, 2.0 × 10^-5 M; Brij-35, 0.01%; sample loop volume, 300 μL; and flow rate, 3.0 mL/min/stream. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.001 and 0.003 mg/L (S/N = 3 and 10); linear calibration range, 5 × 10^-3 - 5.0 mg/L (R² = 0.9999) and injection throughput, 150/h. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was from 0.8 - 3.2% over the range studied. The suggested technique was applied for the determination of NAL in pharmaceutical injections, compared with a reported spectrophotometric method, and obtained results were found to be satisfactory. Based on spectrophotometric studies, the most probable mechanism of the CL reaction has been briefly described and drawn schematically.

A Photochemical Ligation System Enabling Solid-Phase Chemiluminescence Read-Out

The peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (PO-CL) reaction is among the most powerful and versatile techniques for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ) and has been employed in various biological and chemical applications over the past 50 years. However, its two-component nature (peroxyoxalate and fluorophore) limits its use. This contribution introduces an innovative and versatile photochemical platform technology for the synthesis of inherently fluorescent PO probes by exploiting the nitrile imine-mediated tetrazole-ene cycloaddition (NITEC) reaction. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the pioneered "2-in-1" molecule emits either yellow or blue light, depending on tetrazole (Tz) structure. Even in the absence of base, the emitted light remains visible and H₂ O₂ could be detected in the nanomolar range. Critically, the PO-Tz can be readily incorporated into polymeric materials. As a first application of this promising material, a tailor-made PO-Tz is grafted on poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB) particles to enable solid-phase chemiluminescence on microspheres.

In-Syringe Micro Solid-Phase Extraction Method for the Separation and Preconcentration of Parabens in Environmental Water Samples

In this study, a simple, rapid and effective in-syringe micro-solid phase extraction (MSPE) method was developed for the separation and preconcetration of parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl paraben) in environmental water samples. The parabens were determined and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography and a photo diode array detector (HPLC-PDA). Chitosan-coated activated carbon (CAC) was used as the sorbent in the in-syringe MSPE device. A response surface methodology based on central composite design was used for the optimization of factors (eluent solvent type, eluent volume, number of elution cycles, sample volume, sample pH) affecting the extraction efficiency of the preconcentration procedure. The adsorbent used displayed excellent absorption performance and the adsorption capacity ranged from 227–256 mg g⁻¹. Under the optimal conditions the dynamic linear ranges for the parabens were between 0.04 and 380 µg L⁻¹. The limits of detection and quantification ranged from 6–15 ng L⁻¹ and 20–50 ng L⁻¹, respectively. The intraday (repeatability) and interday (reproducibility) precisions expressed as relative standard deviations (%RSD) were below 5%. Furthermore, the in-syringe MSPE/HPLC procedure was validated using spiked wastewater and tap water samples and the recoveries ranged between from 96.7 to 107%. In conclusion, CAC based in-syringe MSPE method demonstrated great potential for preconcentration of parabens in complex environmental water.

Highly selective and sensitive chemiluminescence biosensor for adenosine detection based on carbon quantum dots catalyzing luminescence released from aptamers functionalized graphene@magnetic β-cyclodextrin polymers

In this work, a highly selective and sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) biosensor was prepared for adenosine (AD) detection based on carbon quantum dots (CQDs) catalyzing the CL system of luminol-H₂O₂ under alkaline environment and CQDs was released from the surface of AD aptamers functionalized graphene @ magnetic β-cyclodextrin polymers (GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD@A-Apt). Firstly, GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD and CQDs were prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-Vis absorption spectra (UV), fluorescence spectra (FL), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). For GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD, Fe₃O₄ was easy to separate, GO had good biocompatibility and large specific surface area, and β-CD further increased the specific surface area of the adenosine polymers (A-Apt) to provided larger binding sites to A-Apt. Then, A-Apt was modified on the surface of GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD while CQDs was modified by ssDNA (a single stranded DNA partially complementary to A-Apt). The immobilization property (GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD to A-Apt) and the adsorption property (GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD@A-Apt to CQDs-ssDNA) were sequentially researched. The base-supported chain-like polymers - GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD@A-Apt/CQDs-ssDNA was successfully obtained. When AD existed, CQDs-ssDNA was released from the surface of GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD@A-Apt and catalyzed CL. After that, under optimized CL conditions, AD could be measured with the linear concentration range of 5.0 × 10^-13-5.0 × 10^-9 mol/L and the detection limit of 2.1 × 10^-13 mol/L (3δ) while the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.4%. Finally, the GO@Fe₃O₄@β-CD@A-Apt/CQDs-ssDNA-CL biosensor was used for the determination of AD in urine samples and recoveries ranged from 98.6% to 101.0%. Those satisfactory results illustrated the proposed CL biosensor could achieve highly selective, sensitive and reliable detection of AD and revealed potential application for AD detection in monitoring and diagnosis of human cancers.

A chemiluminescence reagent free method for the determination of captopril in medicine and urine samples by using trivalent silver

A novel flow-injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method free of CL reagent was developed for the determination of captopril based on its enhancing effect on the CL derived from diperiodatoargentate(III)-sulfuric acid system. Compared with the conventional CL system, the CL system based on trivalent silver was characterized of good selectivity for the absence of CL reagent. The CL mechanism was discussed through CL spectra and UV-vis absorption spectra. The conditions of the FI-CL system were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the relative CL intensity was linear with the captopril concentration in the range of 0.3-15.0 μg/mL. The detection limit for captopril was 0.05 μg/mL, and the relative standard deviation (n=11) was 2.0% for 5.0 μg/mL captopril. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of captopril in tablet and human urine with the recoveries of 83.1%-112.5%, and the relative standard deviations of 0.5%-4.4%. The results obtained by the proposed method agreed well with those obtained from HPLC method. The proposed method is fast, convenient, and cost-effective for the determination of captopril in medicine and biological samples.

A chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer for the determination of indolyl acetic acid using luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots as acceptors

A CRET method was fabricated for the determination of IAA using Ce(iv)–Na₂SO₃ as the donor and N-CDs as the acceptor.

Flow Injection-Chemiluminescence Method for Determination of Hyoscine Butylbromide Using Silver(III) as Oxidizing Agent

Diperiodatoargentate(III) (DPA)/silver(III) complex, [Ag(HIO₆)₂]^5-, in sulfuric acid medium has been used to determine hyoscine butylbromide (HBB) by flow injection (FI) coupled with chemiluminescence (CL) detector. A linear standard curve between the CL intensity and concentration range from 0.005 to 20 mg L^-1 was obtained. The determination coefficient (R²), limit of detection (3s × blank), relative standard deviation (RSD) for 0.5 mg L^-1 HBB and analytical throughput were 0.9992 (n = 8), 5 × 10^-4 mg L^-1, 1.5% (n = 10) and 160 injections h^-1, respectively. The developed method was applied for the determination of HBB in pharmaceutical formulations with recoveries from 92 ± 4 to 108 ± 3%. For comparison, a spectrophotometric method was used and the results obtained by both methods were in good agreement at a 95% confidence level. The effect of key chemical and physical variables (reagent concentration, flow rate, sample volume, PMT voltage) and interfering species (pharmaceutical excipients and inorganic ions) on the determination of HBB was examined. The possible CL mechanism of HBB on silver(III) complex in sulfuric acid medium was also discussed in brief.

Flow analysis with chemiluminescence detection: Recent advances and applications

This article highlights the most important developments in flow analysis with chemiluminescence (CL) detection, describing different flow systems that are compatible with CL detection, detector designs, commonly applied CL reactions and approaches to sample treatment. Recent applications of flow analysis with CL detection (focusing on outputs published since 2010) are also presented. Applications are classified by sample matrix, covering foods and beverages, environmental matrices, pharmaceuticals and biological fluids. Comprehensive tables are provided for each area, listing the specific sample matrix, CL reaction used, linear range, limit of detection and sample treatment for each analyte. Finally, recent and emerging trends in the field are also discussed.

Determination of dihydralazine based on chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer of hollow carbon nanodots

The famous weak chemiluminescence (CL) system of potassium permanganate and sodium bisulfite (KMnO₄-HSO₃^-) was enhanced by the hollow fluorescent carbon nanodots (HCNs). The investigation of mechanism revealed that the enhanced CL was induced by the excited-state HCNs (HCNs^⁎), which could be produced from the electron-transfer annihilation of positively charged HCNs (HCNs⁺) and negatively charged HCNs (HCNs^-) as well as by CL resonance energy transfer (CRET) from excited SO₂ (SO₂^⁎)/¹O₂ to HCNs. The dihydralazine sulfate (DHZS) had a diminishing effect on the CL of HCNs-KMnO₄-HSO₃^- system due to the competitive consumption of O₂^-. Under the optimal conditions, the reduced CL signal with the concentration of DHZS was linear in the range of 1.0×10^-7-7.0×10^-5mol/L with a detection limit of 3.0×10^-8mol/L. The relative standard deviation for seven repeated determination of 5.0×10^-6mol/L DHZS was 2.1%. The established method was applied to the determination of DHZS in pharmaceutical preparations, human urine and plasma samples with good precision and accuracy.

Determination of pholcodine in syrups and human plasma using the chemiluminescence system of tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) and acidic Ce(IV)

Pholcodine is an opiate derivative drug which is widely used in pediatric medicine. In this study, a chemiluminescence (CL) method is described that determines pholcodine in human plasma and syrup samples. This method is based on the fact that pholcodine can greatly enhance the weak CL emission of reaction between tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II), Ru(phen)₃²⁺ , and acidic Ce(IV). The CL mechanism is described in detail using UV-vis light, fluorescence and CL spectra. Effects of chemical variables were investigated and under optimum conditions, CL intensity was proportional to the pholcodine concentration over the range 4.0 × 10^-8 to 8.0 × 10^-6  mol  L^-1 . The limit of detection (LOD) (S/N = 3) was 2.5 × 10^-8  mol  L^-1 . Percent of relative standard deviations (%RSD) for 3.0 × 10^-7 and 3.0 × 10^-6  mol  L^-1 of pholcodine was 2.9 and 4.0%, respectively. Effects of common ingredients were investigated and the method was applied successfully to the determination of pholcodine in syrup samples and human plasma.

Applications of capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection in clinical, environmental and food analysis. A review

This paper reviews the latest developments and analytical applications of chemiluminescence detection coupled to capillary electrophoresis (CE-CL). Different sections considering the most common CL systems have been included, such as the tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) system, the luminol and acridinium derivative reactions, the peroxyoxalate CL or direct oxidations. Improvements in instrumental designs, new strategies for improving both resolution and sensitivity, and applications in different fields such as clinical, pharmaceutical, environmental and food analysis have been included. This review covers the literature from 2010 to 2015.

Enhancement of the Chemiluminescence Response of Enzymatic Reactions by Plasmonic Surfaces for Biosensing Applications

We report the enhancement of chemiluminescence response of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in bioassays by plasmonic surfaces, which are comprised of (i) silver island films (SIFs) and (ii) metal thin films (silver, gold, copper, and nickel, 1 nm thick) deposited onto glass slides. A model bioassay, based on the interactions of avidin-modified HRP with a monolayer of biotinylated poly(ethylene-glycol)-amine, was employed to evaluate the ability of plasmonic surfaces to enhance chemiluminescence response of HRP. Chemiluminescence response of HRP in model bioassays were increased up to ~3.7-fold as compared to the control samples (i.e. glass slides without plasmonic nanoparticles), where the largest enhancement of the chemiluminescence response was observed on SIFs with high loading. These findings allowed us to demonstrate the use of SIFs (high loading) for the detection of a biologically relevant target protein (glial fibrillary acidic protein or GFAP), where the chemiluminescence response of the standard bioassay for GFAP was enhanced up to ~50% as compared to bioassay on glass slides.

Gold nanoclusters-based chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer method for sensitive and label-free detection of trypsin

A chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) platform was developed for sensitive and label-free detection of protease by using trypsin as a model analyte. In this CRET platform, bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate-hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence (CL) reaction was utilized as an energy donor and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-stabilized gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) as an energy acceptor. The BSA-stabilized Au NCs triggered the CRET phenomenon by accepting the energy from TCPO-H2O2 CL reaction, thus producing intense CL. In the presence of trypsin, the protein template of BSA-stabilized Au NCs was digested, which frustrated the energy transfer efficiency between the CL donor and the BSA-stabilized Au NCs, leading to a significant decrease in the CL signal. The decreased CL signal was proportional to the logarithm of trypsin concentration in the range of 0.01-50.0µg mL(-1). The detection limit for trypsin was 9ng mL(-)(1) and the relative standard deviations were lesser than 3% (n=11). This Au NCs-based CRET platform was successfully applied to the determination of trypsin in human urine samples, demonstrating its potential application in clinical diagnosis.

Chemical sensors and biosensors for the detection of melamine

Melamine is an emerging contaminant in milk, infant formula and pet food.

Simultaneous chemiluminescence determination of citric acid and oxalic acid using multi-way partial least squares regression

A novel kinetic chemiluminescent method proposed for the simultaneous determination of oxalic acid and citric acid in their mixtures.

Hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction for the direct determination of flumequine in urban wastewaters by flow-injection analysis with terbium-sensitized chemiluminescence

A flow-injection analysis chemiluminescence method based on the enhancement effect of the flumequine-Tb(III) complex on the weak native emission of the Ce(IV)-Na2SO3 system has been developed for the determination of flumequine. The method includes a cleanup and preconcentration stage (750-fold) of the sample by hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction using an Accurel(®) Q 3/2 polypropylene hollow fiber impregnated with 1-octanol as the supported liquid membrane. The obtained 50 μL acceptor phase was injected in a 1 mM Tb(III) + 4 mM Ce(IV) in 5% v/v H2 SO4 stream and mixed with a 2 mM Na2 SO3 stream before its introduction into the flow cell. The chemiluminescence signal was linear in the 0.3-15 ng/mL range, with detection and quantitation limits of 0.1 and 0.3 ng/mL, respectively. The method allows the selective extraction and determination of flumequine in wastewater samples, using simpler and lower-cost instrumentation and with shorter extraction and analysis times than traditional high-performance liquid chromatography analysis.