Chemiluminescent 3--(substituted adamant--2'--ylidene) 1,2--dioxetanes

Abstract

Enzymatically clearable chemiluminescent 1,2-dioxetane compounds capable of producing light energy when decomposed, substantially stable at room temperature before a bond by which an enzymatically clearable labile substituent thereof is intentionally cleaved, are disclosed. These compounds can be represented by the formula: ##STR1## wherein: X and X.sup.1 each represent, individually, hydrogen, a hydroxyl group, a halo substituent, an unsubstituted lower alkyl group, a hydroxy (lower) alkyl group, a halo (lower) alkyl group, a phenyl group, a halophenyl group, an alkoxyphenyl group, a hydroxyalkoxy group, a cyano group or an amide group, with at least one of X and X.sup.1 being other than hydrogen; and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, individually or together, represent an organic substituent that does not interfere with the production of light when the dioxetane compound is enzymatically cleaved and that satisfies the valence of the dioxetane compound's 4-carbon atom, with the provisos that if R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 represent individual substituents the R.sub.2 substituent is aromatic, heteroaromatic, or an unsaturated substituent in conjugation with an aromatic ring, and that at least one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 is, or R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 taken together are, an enzymatically cleavable labile group-substituted fluorescent chromophore group that produces a luminenscent substance when the enzymatically cleavable labile substituent thereof is removed by an enzyme. The corresponding dioxetanes which, instead of being substituted at the 5' or 7', or at the 5' and 7' positions, instead contain a 40' mehtylene group, are also disclosed, as are intermediates for all these 3-substituted adamant-2'-ylidenedioxetanes, and their use as reporter molecules in assays.