Autocatalytic nature of permanganate oxidations exploited for highly sensitive chemiluminescence detection.

Manganese(II) salts catalyze the chemiluminescent oxidation of organic compounds with acidic potassium permanganate. The formation of insoluble manganese(IV) species from the reaction between manganese(II) and permanganate can be prevented with sodium polyphosphate, and therefore, relatively high concentrations of the catalyst can be added to the reagent before the light-producing reaction is initiated. The rapid and intense emissions from these manganese(II) catalyzed chemiluminescence reactions provide highly sensitive detection and greater compatibility with liquid chromatography.