chemiluminescence

chem·i·lu·mi·nes·cence

C0271000 (kĕm′ə-lo͞o′mə-nĕs′əns)n. Emission of light as a result of a chemical reaction.

chem′i·lu′mi·nes′cent adj.

chemiluminescence

(ˌkɛmɪˌluːmɪˈnɛsəns) n (Chemistry) the phenomenon in which a chemical reaction leads to the emission of light without incandescence ˌchemiˌlumiˈnescent adj

chem•i•lum•i•nes•cence

(ˌkɛm əˌlu məˈnɛs əns)

n. (in chemical reactions) the emission of light by an atom or molecule in an excited state. [1900–05] chem`i•lu`mi•nes′cent, adj.

chemiluminescence

Light that is radiated during a chemical reaction

Thesaurus

Noun

chemiluminescence - luminescence resulting from a chemical reaction as the oxidation of luciferin in firefliesluminescence - light not due to incandescence; occurs at low temperatures

Translations

chemiluminescenza

Chemiluminescence

chemiluminescence

[‚kem·i‚lüm·ə′nes·əns] (physical chemistry) Emission of light as a result of a chemical reaction without an apparent change in temperature.

Chemiluminescence

luminescence associated with a chemical reaction. Either the reaction products or components excited as a result of energy transfer from the reaction products may emit the light. A special case of chemiluminescence is bioluminescence—for example, the glow of decaying wood or of certain insects and marine animals.

Chemiluminescence may accompany gase-phase, liquid-phase, or heterogeneous reactions. The emission spectrum may lie in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet region. Chemiluminescence is observed in spontaneous reactions—that is, when reactants are mixed—and in reactions that occur, for example, during an electric discharge, during electrolysis (galvanoluminescence), or upon exposure to light or to ionizing radiation.

Chemiluminescence is an example of the direct conversion of chemical energy into luminous energy. The brightness of chemiluminescence is proportional to the reaction rate and to the efficiency of light production, that is, the number of photons emitted per reaction event. The efficiency of light production approaches 100 percent for the bioluminescence of certain fireflies and approaches 25 percent for reactions in which esters of oxalic acid are oxidized by hydrogen peroxide. In certain reactions (“bright” reactions), the efficiency is about 1 percent; in other cases, it is considerably lower. Therefore, highly sensitive photoelectric equipment is used to detect chemiluminescence, especially in slow reactions.

The study of chemiluminescence makes it possible to solve subtle theoretical problems regarding the elementary event of chemical conversion, the redistribution of energy in reaction products, and the structure of molecules. In addition, reaction rates or the concentrations of substances can be measured (see). Reactions characterized by intense chemiluminescence are used in chemiluminescent light sources, which are activated by the mixing of reactants and yield luminous fluxes of —0.1 lumen per milliliter of solution. Chemiluminescense is the basis for the operation of chemical lasers.

REFERENCES

Vasil’ev, R. F. “Mekhanizmy vozbuzhdeniia khemiliuminestsentsii.” Uspekhi khimii, 1970, vol. 39, issue 6, p. 1130.
Khemiliuminestsentnye metody issledovaniia medlennykh khimicheskikhprotsessov. Moscow, 1966.
Chemiluminescence and Bioluminescence. New York-London, 1973.

R. F. VASIL’EV

chemiluminescence

chem·i·lu·mi·nes·cence

chemiluminescence

chem•i•lum•i•nes•cence

chemiluminescence

Chemiluminescence

chemiluminescence

Chemiluminescence

REFERENCES

chemiluminescence

chemiluminescence

chem·i·lu·mi·nes·cence

chem·i·lu·mi·nes·cence

chemiluminescence

Words related to chemiluminescence

noun luminescence resulting from a chemical reaction as the oxidation of luciferin in fireflies

Related Words