Highly efficient redox reaction between potassium permanganate and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine for application in hydrogen peroxide based colorimetric assays.

Potassium permanganate (KMnO) is one of the most important oxidants, which plays important roles in many fields. Here, we found that KMnO could directly induce the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to generate an oxidized product with a color change. This redox reaction is highly efficient, and 1 μM KMnO is enough to cause detectable changes in the absorbance signal.