96 



KINETICS OF CHEMILUMINESCENCE 



number of oxidants. It might well just involve the loss of the charge on 

 the ionized portion of the molecule 



Oxygen then adds to form some such compound as: 



o- 







I 

 6 



^N 



,^N 



OH 



This could yield: 



0- 



1 

 I 



o 



o 



^N 



.N 



N2 + 



OH 



0- 



1 



c 







C— OH 



11 



o 



The final molecule A* can be reduced to a phthalic acid derivative. 

 It can also engage in other reactions, some of which might give rise to 

 the 2,2'-dicarboxybenzil that was isolated by Zellner and Dougherty 

 (1937). The excited molecule A* would emit light and undergo the 

 reactions described in equations 3, 4, and 5. The proposed mechanism 

 is speculative and is meant only to serve as a basis for further studies. 

 An incidental result of the present study is the demonstration that 



