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AAT Bioquest

What is the difference between chemiluminescence and bioluminescence?

Posted June 1, 2020


Answer

Chemiluminescence is the emission of light due to chemical reactions. When chemiluminescence takes place in living organisms such as insects, the phenomenon is called bioluminescence. Therefore, bioluminescence is one particular form of chemiluminescence. A well-known bioluminescence example is the reaction of luciferin with ATP in the presence of the enzyme luciferase, which occurs within fireflies to produce their light.

Additional resources

D-Luciferin, sodium salt *CAS#: 103404-75-7*

Lumiwox™ acridinium NHS ester

Cormier, M. (Ed.). (2013). Chemiluminescence and bioluminescence. Springer Science & Business Media.