A novel chemiluminescence from the reaction of singlet oxygen with β-diketonates of europium(III), neodymium(III) and ytterbium(III).

Decomposition of 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene endoperoxide, which is the source of singlet oxygen, in the presence of β-diketonates of europium(III), neodymium(III) and ytterbium(III) is accompanied by bright chemiluminescence (CL) in visible and near infra-red spectral region due to characteristic emission from the lanthanides at λmax = 615 and 710 nm ((5)D0→(7)F2 and (5)D0→(7)F4 transitions of Eu(3+)), 900 nm ((4)F3/2→(4)I9/2 transition of Nd(3+)) and 1000 nm ((2)F5/2→(2)F7/2 transition of Yb(3+)). Singlet oxygen is the key intermediate responsible for the observed CL, which is presumably generated by the reaction of (1)O2 with ligands of the complexes. The CL phenomenon discovered herein paves the way towards the development of lanthanide-based CL probe for (1)O2.