Microenvironmental Effects of Water-Soluble Polymers on the Chemiluminescence of Luminol and Its Analogs

The effects of water-soluble polymers(WSPs), such as bovine serum albumin(BSA) and polyethylenimine(PEI), on chemiluminescence(CL) in an aqueous solution have been studied. The CL emission, particularly in the initial stage of the CL reaction, was strongly enhanced by increasing the concentrations of these WSPs. This was attributed to the acceleration of the chemical reactions prior to the formation of the light-emitting species. BSA was also peculiar in that it could enhance CL under neutral pH conditions. It was suggested that these WSPs offered hydrophobic and basic microenvironments well suited to the CL reaction.