Abstract: | A chemiluminescence signal at 425 nm was observed when ferric state myoglobin was mixed with luminol in alkaline medium. Because the signal was remarkably enhanced in the presence of Fe(CN)6
4–, analytical applications were investigated in a flow-injection system. The increase in chemiluminescence was linearly dependent on myoglobin concentration in the range 0.1 to 100 nmol L–1, and the limit of detection was 0.04 nmol L–1 with relative standard deviation 3.2% (3). It was also found that binding of Mb with the ligands CN–, SCN–, and F– significantly inhibited the chemiluminescence reaction. The linear dynamic ranges for the ligands were 1.0–300.0, 0.1–3.0, and 0.5–100.0 nmol L–1, and the limits of detection (S/N=3) 0.4, 0.04, and 0.2 nmol L–1, for F–, CN–, and SCN–, respectively. The relative standard deviations were 5.32%, 6.13%, and 3.38% for 0.1 nmol L–1 CN–, 0.5 nmol L–1 SCN–, and 1.0 nmol L–1 F–, respectively. At a flow rate of 2.0 mL min–1 the assay could be accomplished in 1 min, including sampling and washing. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of myoglobin in human urine and F– in water samples. A possible mechanism of chemiluminescence production by myoglobin and luminol is presented. |