Luminol chemiluminescence in unbuffered solutions with a cobalt(II)-ethanolamine complex immobilized on resin as catalyst and its application to analysis.

Using a heterogeneous catalyst, Co(II)-ethanolamine complex sorbed on Dowex-50W resin, the chemiluminescence (CL) of luminol in unbuffered or weakly acidic solution was studied in the presence of H2O2. The maximum luminol CL wavelength at pH 5.7 was 448 nm, 23 nm longer than that in a basic solution (pH 10.5). Three different ligands, mono-, di-, and triethanolamine, and six transition metal ions, Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Mn-(II), Fe(II), and Fe(III) were compared by CL measurements. The CL intensity decreased in the order mono- > di- > triethanolamine and Co(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Fe-(III) > Mn(II) > Fe(II). This heterogeneous CL system was developed as H2O2 and glucose flow-through sensors. Detection limits (S/N = 3) of H2O2 and glucose using Dowex-50W-X4-Co(II)-monoethanolamine as catalyst are 1 x 10(-7) M and 1 x 10(-6) M, respectively. On the basis of the studies of the CL, fluorescence, UV-vis and ESCA spectra and the effect of dissolved oxygen in luminol solution, a mechanism for CL emission in unbuffered solution was considered as the formation of a superoxide radical ion during the decomposition of H2O2 catalyzed by the Co(II)-ethanolamine immobilized resin. Then the superoxide radical ion acted on luminol and the CL was emitted. The applications of the proposed method to determine H2O2 in rainwater without any special pretreatment and glucose in human urine and orange juice samples give satisfactory results.