dioxetanone is unstable and via the release of carbon dioxide and excited ketones, which release excess energy by emitting light (bioluminescence).The overall reaction is:

Firefly luciferin and modified substrates are fatty acid mimics and have been used to localize fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) in vivo. Firefly luciferin is a substrate of the ABCG2 transporter and has been used as part of a bioluminescence imaging high