Peroxynitrous acid (ONOOH) was formed by the on-line rapid reaction of acidified hydrogen peroxide with nitrite in a simple flow system. A weak chemiluminescent (CL) signal was observed due to the production of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) when ONOOH reacted with NaOH, whereas the replacement of NaOH by Na 2 CO 3 markedly enhanced the CL intensity. The predominant CL-enhanced pathway was achieved by the carbonate-catalyzed decomposition of peroxynitrite (ONOO − ). Carbonate species was regenerated in the process, that is, carbonate acts as a catalyst. Based on the studies of CL and fluorescence spectra, a possible CL mechanism from the reaction of carbonate with ONOOH was proposed. In brief, ONOOH was an unstable compound in acidic solution and could be quenched into ONOO − in basic media. It was suggested that ONOO − reaction with excess HCO 3 − proceeded via one-electron transfer to yield bicarbonate ion radicals (HCO 3 • ). The recombination of HCO 3 • may directly generate excited triplet dimers of two CO 2 molecules [(CO 2 ) * 2 ]. With the decomposition of this unstable intermediate to CO 2 , the energy was released by CL emission. The addition of uranine into carbonate solution caused enhancement of the CL signal, which was due to a part of excited triplet dimers of two CO 2 molecules energy to transfer to uranine, resulting in two CL peaks.