[dana]

Can i determine ATP from residual waters using luminol instead of luciferase?
What is the difference?

[Yggdrasil]

No.  Although both are techniques for visualizing the presence of cetain molecules by chemilluminescence, they work in completely different ways.

Luciferase is an enzyme from fireflies that oxidizes the molecule luciferin which releases light.  Since the reaction requires ATP, the luciferase reaction can be used to monitor ATP concentrations.  If luciferin is in excess so that ATP is the limmiting reagent, the rate of light production will tell you the amount of ATP present.

Luminol, on the other hand, is a chemical substance that reacts with an oxidizing agent to release light.  Here, the luminol is used to detect the presence of a catalyst, usually the enzyme horeradish peroxidase, which decomposes hydrogen peroxide.  Since ATP is not a substrate of any of these reactions, the rate of reaction does not depend on the amount of ATP present.

[dana]

Hi and thx for your help. I have another question and is vital for me to know the correct answear.
For vitamines determination by chemiluminescence (for exemple for vit.E) can i make an analyse using luminol because this is all i have.