D-Luciferin Free Acid

High quality D-Luciferin free acid
Luminescent substrate for firefly luciferase
The D-Luciferin has a 5 years shelf life from date of delivery at -20 °C.

▶ General Information
The D-Luciferin is produced with a unique synthesis that includes special purification method which removes side-products from earlier steps in the synthesis. This method results in a top scoring biochemical activity according to the presentation "comparison of purity and activity of D-Luciferin from 8 different manufactors" published in Luminescence, Vol 27 Issue 2 and presented at the International Symposium on Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence (ISBC). The high emission of our D-Luciferin means a lower detection limit which sometimes, though falsely, is referred to as sensitivity. The end-product is vacuum-dried and stored under argon to ensure maximum stability. The product is available in 100, 500, 1 g and 5 g amounts. Other amounts can be arranged provided a longer delivery time is accepted.

The D-Luciferin comes in three forms:

D-Luciferin Free Acid
D-Luciferin Potassium salt
D-Luciferin Sodium salt
Depending on application and convenience the suitability of these three forms may differ.

D-Luciferin Free acid has a better stability (in freeze dried powder form) as it's not water soluble. It's usually dissolved with equimolar sodium/potassium bicarbonate and then diluted in to desired concentration with the preferred buffer (often PBS). If dissolved at 10 mg/mL in an equimolar concentration of base (or a few percentages excess to account for hygroscopic base), shaking for a around 30 minutes should dissolve the D-Luciferin. Opening the capsule of the vial and letting out the formed CO3 will make the process much faster. Higher concentrations form more CO3 which makes the pH slightly acid.
D-Luciferin Potassium salt has a slightly better stability in solution than the sodium salt. It can be dissolved in water and any water based buffers such as PBS. Dissolving 10 mg/mL D-Luciferin Potassium salt only requires a few swirl. It's possible to dissolve 65 mg/mL.
D-Luciferin Sodium salt has a slightly better solubility than the potassium salt. It can be dissolved in water and any water based buffers such as PBS. Dissolving 10 mg/mL D-Luciferin Sodium salt only requires a few swirl. It's possible to dissolve 100 mg/mL.
Dissolving D-Luciferin

D-Luciferin free acid can be dissolved at a concentration of 10 mg/mL (35.7 mmol/L) in an equimolar concentration of base, e. g. Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris base) or sodium/potassium bicarbonate. It may take up to 30 min to dissolve the last few crystals. Opening the capsule of the vial and letting out the formed CO3 will make the Luciferin dissolve much faster. Higher concentrations form more CO3 which makes the pH slightly acid. Acid pH makes it hard or impossible to dissolve a D-Luciferin salt. Higher concentrations requires venting out the CO3 or Argon gas washing depending on the desired concentration and time frame.

Stability of D-Luciferin

D-Luciferin is sensitive to light and oxygen, before as well as after dissolving. If the vial containing the solid D-Luciferin must be opened and closed again, it is recommended to fill the vial with an inert gas before closing the lid. Argon has a higher density than air. This makes it more convenient to fill the vial with argon as compared to nitrogen. The solid material should be stored at -20 °C. Solutions of D-Luciferin should be protected from light and stored at -80 °C.

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