Rapid flow injection method for the determination of sulfite in wine using the permanganate-luminol luminescence system

A simple, rapid and sensitive chemiluminescence method for the determination of sulfite has been developed by combining flow-injection analysis and its sensitizing effect on the known chemiluminescence emission produced by the oxidation of luminol in alkaline medium; in this work permanganate has been proposed as oxidizing reactive. The optimum conditions for the chemiluminescence emission were established. The chemiluminescence was proportional to the sulfite concentration over the range 1.6 × 10−5 and 4.0 × 10−4 mol L−1. The detection limit was 4.7 × 10−6 mol L−1 of sulfite. The method has been satisfactorily used for the determination of free and bound sulfite in wines.