Relationship between structural attributes and observed electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) activity of tertiary amines as potential analytes for the tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ECL reaction. A review

The relationship between the structural attributes of various amine compounds and their observed electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) activity with the tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ECL reaction was examined, with a view to the determination of these compounds. This was carried out by first examining the reaction mechanism and then predicting the ECL activity of certain classes of compounds by considering the stability of intermediates, and drawing general conclusions by comparing the observations obtained by the authors and other workers. The molecular geometry and alternative anodic reactivity and their effect on ECL activity are discussed and results for the ECL activity of a range of local anaesthetics are presented.