Carbonate-radical-anions, and not hydroxyl radicals, are the products of the Fenton reaction in neutral solutions containing bicarbonate

Erzsébet Illés, Amir Mizrahi, Vered Marks, Dan Meyerstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

87 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Fenton reaction, Fe(H2O)6 2+ + H2O2 → Oxidizing product, is of major importance in biology as the major cause of oxidative stress, and in advanced oxidation processes. It is commonly assumed that ·OH is the product of the Fenton reaction. The results presented herein point out that ·OH is indeed the oxidizing product in acidic solutions for [Fe(H2O)6 2+] > [H2O2]; FeIV aq is the active oxidizing product in neutral solutions; in slightly acidic solutions for [H2O2] > [Fe(H2O)6 2+] a mixture of ·OH and FeIV aq is formed. However CO3·- is the active oxidizing product in neutral solutions containing HCO3 - even at low concentrations, i.e. under physiological conditions. The implications to our understanding of the origins of oxidative stress and of catalytic oxidations in advanced oxidation processes are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalFree Radical Biology and Medicine
Volume131
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Bicarbonate
  • Carbonate-radical-anion
  • Fenton reaction
  • Iron
  • Radicals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology (medical)

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