Unprecedented chemiluminescence behaviour during peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence of oxalates with fluorescent or electron-donating aryloxy groups.

A series of diaryl and bis(4-styrylphenyl) oxalates with electron-donating substituents or fluorescent moieties were subjected to the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (PO-CL) reaction, some of which were found to behave in a unprecedented manner. The reaction of bis(p-methyoxyphenyl) oxalate, as a representative example, emits light due not only to the emission from the externally added excited fluorophore, but also from the presumable excimer of p-methoxyphenol. Also, during the reaction of the bis(4-styrylphenyl) oxalates, the emission based on the fluorescence as well as the excimer of the eliminating group were observed. These experimental results suggest that such emitting species would be formed by an intra- and intermolecular electronic interaction with a high-energy intermediate, such as a dioxetanone. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.