CHEMILUMINESCENT MATERIALS

Progress in determining mechanisms of processes fundamental to chemiluminescence is reported with particular reference to 1 Studies of oxalyl chloridehydrogen peroxide-9,10-diphenylanthracene chemiluminescence, 2 Exploratory studies of new potentially useful chemiluminescent reactions related to oxalyl peroxide decompositions, and 3 Synthesis and exploratory studies of new chemiluminescent systems based on the acridine and anthracene compound classes. Quantitative luminosity and brightness data is summarized for representative luminol and oxalyl chloride chemiluminescent systems. An initial brightness of 103 foot lamberts was obtained for a short-lived oxalyl chloride reaction. An investigation of reactant concentration effects on quantum yields of light emission in the oxalyl chloride-hydrogen peroxide-9,10- diphenylanthracene system has confirmed conclusions previously drawn. Absolute values of the quantum yields, however, were significantly higher. Studies of fluorescer behavior in the system have shown that 1 at least three fluorescers remain predominantly unchanged following emission, 2 complex formation between oxalyl chloride or hydrogen peroxide and the fluorescer is essentially absent, and 3 oxalyl chloride is an important fluorescence quencher.