Induced chemiluminescence of oxidized fatty acids and oils.

The injection of a strong organic base into milligram quantities of fats and oils dissolved in methylene chloride results in a burst of chemiluminescence whose peak intensity is a function of the previous thermal oxidation history and of the degree of unsaturation of the starting material. The flash of this induced chemiluminescence can be 10(8) times higher than the steady-state "spontaneous" chemiluminescence. The kinetics of the induced chemiluminescence are first order in concentration and second order in time. The emission spectrum is broad and extends into the near infrared. A model based on dioxetane chemiluminescence is proposed to explain the observed kinetics.