In electrogenerated chemiluminescence, also known as electrochemiluminescence (ECL), electrochemically generated intermediates undergo a highly exergonic reaction to produce an electronically excited state that then emits light. These electron-transfer reactions are sufficiently exergonic to allow the excited states of luminophores, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metal complexes, to be created without photoexcitation. For example, oxidation of [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) in the presence of tripropylamine results in light emission that is analogous to the emission produced by photoexcitation. This review highlights some of the most exciting recent developments in this field, including novel ECL-generating transition metal complexes, especially ruthenium and osmium polypyridine systems; ECL-generating monolayers and thin films; the use of nanomaterials; and analytical, especially clinical, applications.

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Two novel polyarginine labelled ruthenium polypyridyl dyes are reported, one conjugated to five, (Ru-Ahx-R 5 ), and one to eight arginine residues, (Ru-Ahx-R 8 ).Both complexes exhibit long-lived, intense, and oxygen sensitive luminescence. Luminescent dye molecules capable of passive cell delivery may be used as molecular probes for example in cellular imaging, cell biology, molecular biology, microbiology, and flow cytometry applications.The majority of probes used in cellular imaging are fluorescent and based on organic, typically polyaromatic, chromophores. The short luminescence lifetimes of such species, typically <10 ns, limits their environmental sensitivity, e.g., towards molecular oxygen, and their application for fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIM).

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