Analytical applications of acidic potassium permanganate as a chemiluminescence reagent

A critical review presented is of the literature concerning the use of acidic solutions of potassium permanganate to generate chemiluminescence during the oxidation of both organic compounds and inorganic species. A brief overview of the reagent's historical origin is followed by a chronological survey of its analytical applications, from what we believe to be the first report in 1975 through to those published up until mid-2001. This review does not include those papers where potassium permanganate has been used either in alkaline conditions or in conjunction with other chemiluminescence reagents. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.