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What are the differences between chemiluminescence and electrochemiluminescence?
Posted January 13, 2023
Answer
Basis of differentiation | Chemiluminescence | Electrochemiluminescence |
Definition | Chemiluminescence is the emission of light as a result of a chemical reaction | Electrochemiluminescence is the emission of light caused by an electrochemical reaction occurring at an electrode surface |
Requirement of an electrode surface | No | Yes |
Occurrence | Occurs in chemical reactions | Occurs in electrochemical reactions |
Mechanism | Enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, microperoxidase, horseradish peroxidase and metal ions or complexes such as Cu 2+ and Fe3+ phthalocyanine complex and hemin are used | A ruthenium (Ru2+) and tris (bipyridyl) chelate are the most commonly used electrochemiluminescence labels (electrochemiluminescence occurs at an electrode via oxidation-reduction reaction with tripropylamine) |
Uses | Is used in for analyzing organic and inorganic species in solutions, detecting and assaying biomolecules during ELISA and Western blotting, sequencing DNA using pyrosequencing, and detecting impurities in the air | Is used very often during DNA hybridization experiments (electrochemiluminescence chemicals are used) |