12th International Symposium on Bioluminescence & Chemiluminescence

Symposium abstracts:

Investigations on the thermal stability of 1,2-dioxetanes and their kinetic of decomposition mesured via Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Weiss, D.¹, Flammersheim, H.J.¹, Baader, W.J.²

1. Institute of Organic Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Humboldtstr. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
    Email : c5diwe@rz.uni-jena.de
2. Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, C. P.26077 Sao Paulo, Brazil

The thermal decomposition of 1,2-dioxetanes has long been a topic of investigation but has not yet been understood until now. This decomposition is normally determined by means of chemiluminescence and the isothermal kinetic method. However we have found that Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is a useful method to determine reaction energies, reaction kinetics and reaction rate-constants of dioxetan decomposition. In contrast to the isothermal method, DSC works with a graded increase of temperature (from 50°C- 200°C). Three dioxetanes have been investigated and the results are compared with the known mechanistic conceptions for dioxetane decomposition.

This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in Luminescence: Copyright 2001 John
Wiley & Sons, Ltd (Wiley website)