Flow injection analysis of resorcinol using inhibited Rhodamine B/Cerium(IV) chemiluminescence system

The fluorescent dye Rhodamine B (RhB), in combination with a strong oxidant Ce(IV), was used to investigate the properties of three important polyphenols, resorcinol, catechol, and hydroquinone. The reaction of RhB with Ce(IV) solution in acidic medium was found to elicit strong chemiluminescence (CL). The CL signal remarkably weakened in the presence of resorcinol whereas the two other isomers, catechol, and hydroquinone, hardly had any effect in the same range of concentrations. Based on these observations, a new flow-injection CL method was developed for the determination of resorcinol. In addition, a brief discussion of possible mutual interaction mechanism between the three polyphenols and the components of the system is also presented.