In the 1880s, Raphaël Dubois experimented with bioluminescent clams and beetles which led him to discover bioluminescence molecules which he named luciferin and luciferase.
The word lucifer is derived from Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bring". The suffixes "ace" and "in" are generic suffixes used for enzymes and proteins.
The molecules Luciferase and Luciferin are an oxidative enzyme and a substrate respectively. These molecules are responsible for causing bioluminescence. The enzyme and substrate bind together into what is called an enzyme-substrate complex to cause a reaction.
Luciferase - is this like...a known chemical? Who named this thing?
https://www.goldbio.com/articles/article/The-History-of-Luciferin-and-Luciferase-discovery-timeline
https://www.behindthename.com/name/lucifer
The molecules Luciferase and Luciferin are an oxidative enzyme and a substrate respectively. These molecules are responsible for causing bioluminescence. The enzyme and substrate bind together into what is called an enzyme-substrate complex to cause a reaction.