Enhancing effect of DNA on chemiluminescence from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by copper(II)

In the absence of any special luminescence reagent, emission of weak chemiluminescence has been observed during the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by copper(II) in basic aqueous solution. The intensity of the chemiluminescence was greatly enhanced by addition of DNA and was strongly dependent on DNA concentration. Based on these phenomena, a flow-injection chemiluminescence method was established for determination of DNA. The chemiluminescence intensity was linear with DNA concentration in the range 2 x 10(-7)-1 x 10(-5) g L(-1) and the detection limit was 4.1 x 10(-8) g L(-1) (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation was less than 3.0% for 4 x 10(-7) g L(-1) DNA (n = 11). The proposed method was satisfactorily applied for determination of DNA in synthetic samples. The possible mechanism of the CL reaction is discussed.