N,N-Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)oxamides and chemiluminescent compositions containing the same

A compound represented by formula (I) ##STR2## wherein R and R' independently represent hydrogen;

• alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
• cycloalkyl of 4 to 8 carbon atoms;
• substituted alkyl or cycloalkyl wherein the substituents are selected from halo, carboxy, alkoxy, or alkoxycarbonyl, wherein the alkoxy is of 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
• alkanoyl of 2 to 18 carbon atoms;
• aroyl of 7 to 11 carbon atoms;
• aralkyl of 7 to 11 carbon atoms;
• aryl of 6 to 10 carbon atoms;
• heterocyclic aryl of 3 to 9 carbon atoms;
• substituted aryl and heterocyclic aryl of 6 to 10 and 3 to 9 carbon atoms, respectively, wherein the substituents, one or more, are selected from halo, nitro, cyano, trifluoromethyl, alkyl and alkoxy of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, hydroxy, phenoxy, benzyloxy, phenyl, alkanoylamino of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, benzoylamino, alkylsulfonyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, carboxy, alkoxycarbonyl and alkoxysulfonyl wherein the alkoxy group has 1 to 6 carbon atoms, --SO.sub.3.sup..crclbar. M.sup..sym. wherein M.sup..sym. is a cation selected from sodium, potassium, lithium, ammonium, monoalkylammonium, dialkylammonium, trialkylammonium, or tetraalkylammonium wherein the alkyl radicals have 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and may be the same or different, aminocarbonyl, and aminosulfonyl which are unsubstituted or substituted at the nitrogen by 1 or 2 radicals selected from alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, phenyl, or substituted phenyl wherein the substituents are as defined above for aryl and heterocyclic aryl.