Signalling compounds and methods for detecting hydrogen peroxide

A method for detecting a source of hydrogen peroxide comprising:

• a) reacting the source of hydrogen peroxide with a signalling compound of the formula:
• 60
• wherein Sig is an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring group, B is a boron atom, and each R is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl and aryl groups and can be joined together as a straight or branched alkylene chain forming a ring or as an aromatic ring, to produce a detectable product Sig —OH or Sig-O− capable of detection by chemiluminescence;
• and
• b) detecting chemiluminescence from the detectable product.

A method for detecting a source of hydrogen peroxide comprising:

• a) reacting a signalling compound of the formula:
• 68
• wherein Sig is an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring group, B is a boron atom, and each R is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl and aryl groups and can be joined together as a straight or branched alkylene chain forming a ring or as an aromatic ring, with a source of hydrogen peroxide to produce a detectable product Sig-OH or Sig-O− capable of detection by fluorescence;
• b) irradiating the detectable product with light of a first wavelength;
• and
• c) detecting light emitted as fluorescence from the detectable product at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength.

A method for detecting a source of hydrogen peroxide comprising:

• a) reacting a signalling compound of the formula:
• 70
• wherein Sig is an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring group, B is a boron atom, and each R is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl and aryl groups and can be joined together as a straight or branched alkylene chain forming a ring or as an aromatic ring, with a source of hydrogen peroxide to produce a detectable product Sig-OH or Sig-O— capable of detection by its color;
• and
• b) detecting the formation of the detectable product by the formation or change of color at a suitable wavelength or range of wavelengths.

A method for measuring the amount of hydrogen peroxide in a sample comprising:

• a) reacting the sample known or suspected to contain hydrogen peroxide with a signalling compound of the formula:
• 73
• wherein Sig is a non-polymeric organic group, B is a boron atom, and each R is independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl and aryl groups and can be joined together as a straight or branched alkylene chain forming a ring or as an aromatic ring, to produce a detectable product compound of the formula Sig-OH or Sig-O−;
• and
• b) detecting the detectable product compound by measuring a detectable property, wherein the signalling compound itself does not possess the detectable property or does so only to a very weak degree;
• and
• c) relating the detectable product to the amount of hydrogen peroxide.