Study on luminescence quenching of selected systems
Josef Kučera
The luminescence spectroscopy is an important detection method in different fields of life
sciences such as medicine, biology, or analytical chemistry. However, the most practical
analyses are performed in aqueous solutions where the luminescence signal can be quenched
by the present -OH oscillators. The simple exchange of H2O for heavier D2O can positively
affect the luminescence of many important analytes, labels, probes, etc. Performed fluorescence
spectroscopy measurements combined with evaluations of fluorescence-based methods
described and quantified the practical impacts of D2O on chemical and biological samples.
Several novel features are observed in fluorescence spectra and lifetime decay curves of
molecules including fluorescence probes and labels that are used frequently in biomolecular
labelling and bioimaging. The observed characteristics suggest that D2O enhances the
fluorescence signal due to the exchange of labile hydrogen on a fluorophore for heavier
deuteron and the reduction of energy transfer from excited fluorophores to H2O molecules.
Furthermore, performed quantifications approve that D2O increases significantly the detection
signal of all examined fluorescence-based approaches where the brightness of fluorophores and
sample viability are crucial.1, 2
The fluorescence quenching by H2O can be employed in the
determination of the deuterium oxide content in aqueous solution for analytical purposes. Both
innorganic (Sm3+
and Eu3+
) compounds and organic dyes were tested to find considerable
change of the fluorescence lifetime (τ). Innorganic compounds such as europium nitrate shown
almost 35-fold lifetime prolongation in D2O. 3
1. Kucera, J.; Pes, O.; Janovic, T.; Hofr, C.; Kubinyiova, L.; Toth, J.; Kana, S.; Taborsky, P.,
Enhancement of luminescence signal by deuterated water – practical implications. Under
review.
2. Taborsky, P.; Kucera, J.; Jurica, J.; Pes, O., Heavy water enhancement of fluorescence
signal in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography B-Analytical
Technologies in the Biomedical and Life Sciences 2018, 1092, 7-14.
3. Kucera, J.; Lubal, P.; Lis, S.; Taborsky, P., Determination of deuterium oxide content in
water based on luminescence quenching. Talanta 2018, 184, 364-368.