The chemiluminescence mechanism of 3,4-bis(3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, and the characteristics of chemiluminescence developed in the reaction with CH3CNH2O2NaOH

The chemiluminescence (CL) mechanism of 3,4-bis(3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (IPD) was investigated using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS) of the products formed after the IPD CL reaction. We found that IPD produced strong CL via the decomposition of dioxetane formed after oxidation of the maleimide and indole moieties in the presence of CH3CN, H2O2 and NaOH. The IPD CL was used for evaluating the antioxidant effect on curcumin and epigallocatechin gallate.