Practical use of chemical probes for reactive oxygen species produced in biological systems by γ-irradiation

Application of chemical probes, for detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS), was tested during γ-irradiation. The ethanol/α-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone (4-POBN) and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) were structurally stable enough to detect OH and H₂O₂, increasingly generated by γ-irradiation up to 1000 Gy. Interestingly, the production rate of H₂O₂, but not OH, during γ-irradiation, was significantly different between in vitro systems of lettuce and spinach. These results suggest that 4-POBN and DAB could be utilized as a semi-quantitative probe to quantify OH and H₂O₂, produced by γ-irradiation up to 1000 Gy.     

Comparison of the stable products formed by fast atom bombardment and γ-irradiation of glycerol

The major end-products formed by fast atom bombardment (FAB) and γ-irradiation of glycerol have been identified using capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The product distributions differ dramatically. Products resulting from the recombination of either carbon-centered or oxygen-centered radicals are evident for both sources of irradiation. However, the major FAB-generated products are formed by the recombination of carbon-centered [G – H]^· radicals with other carbon-centered radicals while the major γ-radiolysis products result from the recombination of oxygen-centered [G–H]^· radicals with lower-weight carbon-centered species. γ-Radiolysis of an N₂O-saturated aqueous solution of glycerol, experimental conditions that strongly favor the formation of carbon-centered [G – H]^· radicals at the expense of the oxygen-centered species, yielded some products that were identical to those produced by FAB of neat glycerol. Finally, the free radicals produced by γ-radiolysis of glycerol were investigated by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and spin trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrrolne-TV-oxide. The presence of only the carbon-centered free radical was established by this technique. The implications of these results are discussed.     

ESR spectrometric characterization of the methyl viologen dosimeter in poly(vinyl alcohol) film

A dosimeter of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film containing methyl viologen dichloride (MV²⁺ (Cl^-)₂) was characterized by means of ESR and u.v. spectrometries. γ-irradiation of the MV²⁺-PVA dosimeter induced one-electron reduction of MV^2+· to thecation radical (MV⁺), thus giving rise to blue coloration. The resulting MV^+· showed an ESR signal with a g-factor of 2.0031. The yield of MV^+· at a given radiation dose was estimated from duplicate integral of the ESR first-derivative spectra by reference to 1,1'-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The yield of MV^+· thus estimated increased linearly with increasing the radiation dose up to about 1.4 Mrad. The ESR spectrometry of MV^+· showed a linear correlation with the u.v. spectrometric method reported previously.     

Polyacrylamide gel synthesis and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles

In this study, a polyacrylamide gel route was introduced to synthesize TiO₂ nanoparticles. The influence of synthesis conditions on the properties of products was investigated. It is found that the samples prepared at the calcination temperature of 400 °C crystallize majorly in the anatase phase with a minor rutile phase. The second rutile phase has a dependence on the chelating agent, which is formed more readily when using acetic acid as the chelating agent. The introduction of acrylamide and glucose to the precursor solution shows the capability of improving the particle morphology, and the resulted particles are uniformly shaped like spheres. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared TiO₂ samples was evaluated by the degradation of acid orange 7 under 254 nm ultraviolet irradiation, revealing that they exhibit a good photocatalytic activity. Ethanol was used as a ^·OH scavenger to investigate its effect on the photocatalytic efficiency as well as the ^·OH radical yields. Based on the experimental results, ^·OH radical is suggested to be the dominant active species responsible for the dye degradation.     

Degradation of trichloroethylene in aqueous solution by persulfate activated with Fe(III)–EDDS complex

In this study, an environmentally friendly complexing agent, S,S′-ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid (EDDS), was applied in Fe(III)-mediated activation of persulfate (PS), and the degradation performance of trichloroethylene (TCE) was investigated. The effects of PS concentration, Fe(III)/EDDS molar ratio, and inorganic anions on TCE degradation were evaluated, and the generated reactive oxygen species responsible for TCE removal were identified. The results showed that nearly complete TCE degradation was achieved with PS of 15.0 mM and a molar ratio of Fe(III)/EDDS of 4:1. An increase in PS concentration or Fe(III)/EDDS molar ratio to a certain value resulted in enhanced TCE degradation. All of the anions (Cl^?, HCO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2?, and NO ₃ ^? ) at tested concentrations had negative effects on TCE removal. In addition, investigations using radical probe compounds and radical scavengers revealed that sulfate radicals (SO ₄ ^·? ), hydroxyl radicals (^·OH), and superoxide radical anions (O ₂ ^·? ) were all generated in the Fe(III)–EDDS/PS system, and ^·OH was the primary radical responsible for TCE degradation. In conclusion, the Fe(III)–EDDS-activated PS process is a promising technique for TCE-contaminated groundwater remediation.     

Kinetics of the gas‐phase reactions of hydroxyl radicals with C1–C6 aliphatic alcohols in the presence of ammonium sulfate aerosols

The effects of ammonium sulfate aerosols on the kinetics of the hydroxyl radical reactions with C₁–C₆ aliphatic alcohols have been investigated using the relative rate technique. P‐xylene was used as a reference compound for the C₂–C₆ aliphatic alcohols study, and ethanol was used as a reference compound for the methanol study. Two different aerosol concentrations that are typical of polluted urban conditions were tested. The total surface areas of aerosols were 1400 μm² cm^?3 (condition I) and 3400 μm² cm^?3 (condition II). Results indicate that ammonium sulfate aerosols promote the ethanol/OH radical and 1‐propanol/OH radical reactions as compared to the p‐xylene/OH radical reaction. The relative rate of the ethanol/·OH reaction versus the p‐xylene/·OH reaction increased from 0.19 ± 0.01 in the absence of aerosols to 0.24 ± 0.01 and 0.26 ± 0.02 under aerosol conditions I and II, respectively. The relative rate of the 1‐propanol/·OH reaction versus the p‐xylene/·OH reaction increased from 0.45 ± 0.03 in the absence aerosols to 0.56 ± 0.02 and 0.55 ± 0.03 under aerosol conditions I and II, respectively. However, significant changes in the relative rates of the 1‐butanol/·OH, 1‐pentanol/·OH, and 1‐hexanol/·OH reactions versus the p‐xylene/·OH reaction were not observed for either aerosol concentration. The relative rates of the methanol/·OH reaction versus the ethanol/·OH reaction were identical in the absence and presence of aerosols. These results indicate that ammonium sulfate aerosols promote the methanol/·OH reaction as much as the ethanol/·OH reaction (as compared to the p‐xylene/·OH reaction). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 422–430, 2001     

Enzymatic oxidation of lignin and compounds modeling it. III. Formation of singlet oxygen in the peroxidase oxidation of lignin

The main emitters of radiation in the aerobic oxidation of lignin are the carbonyl groups in an excited state and singlet oxygen. It has been shown that the main source of O₂(¹Δ) may be the radical anion O^?·₂. Singlet oxygen and the radical anion are by-products of the radical oxidation of lignin.     

Free radical-induced oxidative degradation of polyacrylamide in aqueous solution

The oxidative main chain degradation of polyacrylamide initiated by ^·OH radicals attacking the polymer in aqueous solution was studied. ^·OH radicals were produced by irradiating dilute polymer solutions with high energy radiation. A bimolecular process (combination of PO₂ radicals) was found to be the rate determining step in the series of consecutive reactions leading to main-chain rupture. This was revealed from results obtained in pulse radiolysis studies using the light scattering detection method. Under the given experimental conditions, the number of radical sites per initial macromolecule exceeded unity with the consequence that intramolecular reactions of PO₂ radicals dominated intermolecular combinations. From both pulse radiolysis and continuous irradiations it was inferred that only a small fraction (about 1%) of the attacking ^·OH radicals initiated main-chain scission.     

EPR-investigations of radicals derived from diethyl iodomethylphosphonate in solid and liquid state

A selective homolysis of the C I bond in diethyl iodomethylphosphonate to give the diethoxyphosphorylmethyl radical (EtO)₂P(O)CH₂· was observed in EPR spectra upon γ-irradiation and UV–vis photolysis. Analysis of stability of this radical was also investigated to show disappearance of EPR signals above 170–190 K. An attempt to observe this radical during the reaction with AIBN as an initiator failed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 15:127–130, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10225     

Radiation-induced oxidation of polyethylene,ethylene–butene copolymer,and ethylene–propylene copolymer

Oxygen consumption and yield of oxidation products during γ-irradiation were studied on five types of polyethylene (PE), ethylene–butene copolymer (EB), and ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPR) using gas chromatography, mass spectrography, and high-resolution NMR. Samples were irradiated in oxygen under pressure from 0 to 500 torr by ⁶⁰Co γ-rays up to 20 Mrad at 22–25°C. In enough oxygen, oxygen consumption and yield of oxidation products are independent of oxygen pressure for low-density PE, EB, and EPR. The G values of oxygen consumption were 14–18.4 for PE, 11.6 for EB at 1 × 10⁶ rad/h, and 8.3 for EPR at 2 × 10⁵ rad/h. The oxidation products determined were carboxylic acid (? CH₂? CO? OH), H₂O, CO₂, and CO. The oxygen consumption and oxidation products for PE were found to increase with increasing crystallinity.     

Spectral,kinetics, and redox properties of the transients formed on one‐electron oxidation of 4,4′‐thiodiphenol: A pulse radiolysis study

The transient absorption bands (λ_max = 330, 525 nm, k_f = 5 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) obtained on pulse radiolysis of N₂O‐saturated neutral aqueous solution of 4,4′‐thiodiphenol (TDPH) are due to the reaction of TDPH with ^·OH radicals and are assigned to phenoxyl radical formed on fast deprotonation of the solute radical cation. The reaction of specific one‐electron oxidants (Cl₂^·−, Br₂^·−, N₃^·, TI²⁺, CCl₃OO^·) with TDPH also produced similar transient absorption bands. The phenoxyl radicals are also produced on pulse radiolysis of N₂‐saturated solution of TDPH in 1,2‐dichloroethane. The nature of transient absorption spectrum obtained on reaction of ^·OH radicals with TDPH is not affected in acidic solutions, showing that OH‐adduct is not formed in neutral solutions. The oxidation potential for the formation of phenoxyl radical is determined to be 0.98 V. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 31: 603–610, 1999     

Ionic species in irradiated poly(methyl methacrylate). A pulse radiolysis and ESR study

Poly(methyl methacrylate) free of initiators was synthesized by γ-irradiation and cast into transparent films. The samples were investigated by ns pulse radiolysis at various temperatures, and by ESR spectroscopy after γ irradiation at 77°K. Short-lived transients with optical absorptions at 440 and 725 nm were observed. The 440 nm absorption has been ascribed to the cation and the 725 nm absorption (εG = 3000 M^?1 cm^?1 (100 eV)^?1, τ_1/2 = 190 ns at ?13°C, E_a = 6.5 kcal/mol) to the anion. These assignments are based on ESR data of samples of poly(methyl methacrylate) and pivalic acid methyl ester deuterated at the ester deuterated at the ester and α-methyl groups, respectively, and subjected to thermal annealing and photobleaching. The anion decomposes on photobleaching by loss of the ester ·CH₃ radical, and the cation is proposed to decay by loss of the ·CH₃ radical from the α-methyl group. The thermal decay of the anion is discussed.     

γ‐Irradiation Degradation of Methamidophos

The irradiation degradation of methamidophos in aqueous solutions by ⁶⁰Co‐γ rays was investigated. The effects of absorbed doses, saturated gas, and the additive of H₂O₂ on the degradation were also studied. The results showed that the oxidative radical, such as ·OH, played an important role in the irradiation degradation of methamidophos; while the reductive radicals, e^?_aq and ·H, had no contribution to the degradation. The degradation rate of methamidophos increased with the increase of the irradiation dosage. At certain irradiation dosage, methamidophos could be degraded completely. The degradation rate of methamidophos in the solution saturated with oxygen was higher than those saturated with other gases, which reached 100% when the absorbed dose was 8 kGy. H₂O₂ degraded methamidophos slowly when it was used alone, but could accelerate the degradation obviously when it was used with irradiation together.     

Kristallstrukturen des Sr(OH)2 · H2O,Ba(OH)2 · H2O (o.-rh. und mon.) und Ba(OH)2 · 3 H2O

Crystal Structures of Sr(OH)₂ · H₂O, Ba(OH)₂ · H₂O (o.-rh. and mon.), and Ba(OH)₂ · 3 H₂O The crystal structures of Ba(OH)₂ · 3 H₂O (Pnma, Z = 4), γ-Ba(OH)₂ · H₂O (P2₁/m, Z = 2) and the isotypic Sr(OH)₂ · H₂O and β-Ba(OH)₂ · H₂O (Pmc2₁, Z = 2) were determined using X-ray single crystal data. Ba(OH)₂ · 3 H₂O and Ba(OH)₂ · H₂O mon. crystallize in hitherto unknown structure types. The structure of Ba(OH)₂ · H₂O mon. is strongly related to that of rare earth hydroxides M(OH)₃ with space group P6₃/m (super group of P2₁/m). The metal-oxygen distances are significantly shorter for OH^? ions (mean Ba—O bond lengths of all hydroxides under investigation 278.1 pm) than for H₂O molecules (289.9 pm). Corresponding to other hydrates of ionic hydroxides, the water molecules form strong hydrogen bonds to adjacent OH^? ions whereas the hydroxide are not H-bonded.     

Reactions of hydroxyl radical (·OH) and oxide radical anion (O·−) with 2-aminopurine in aqueous medium

Pulse radiolysis has been used to investigate the reaction of hydroxyl radical (^·OH) and oxide radical anion (O^·−) with 2-aminopurine (2AP), a fluorescent analogue of adenine, in aqueous medium. The second-order rate constant for the reaction of ^·OH with 2AP was determined to be 3 × 10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹s⁻¹ and for the reaction of O^·− it was 7.1 × 10⁸ dm³ mol⁻¹s⁻¹. The transient absorption spectrum obtained in the reaction of ^·OH at pH 7 has absorption maxima at 370 and 470 nm. The spectrum undergoes a time-dependent transformation at higher time-scale. The intermediate species was found to react with N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD). The yield of TMPD^·+ was calculated in terms of G(TMPD^·+) to be 3.3 × 10⁻⁷ mol J⁻¹ at pH 7. The ^·OH reactions were also carried out at pH 10 and the transient absorption spectra have λ _max at 400 and 480 nm. The transient spectra obtained in the reaction of O^·− at pH ≈14 have maxima at 400 and 480 nm. The transient intermediate species at pH 7 are assigned to the formation of 2AP-4-OH^· (54%), 2AP-5-OH^· (7%) and 2AP-8-OH^· (39%) based on the spectral evidence and TMPD^·+ build-up. Both 2AP-4-OH^· and 2AP-5-OH^· undergo OH⁻ elimination to form a radical cation. At higher pH (pH 10), the dehydration reaction of these OH-adducts leads to a N-centered radical (2AP-N(9)^·, 71%). Formation of 2AP-8-OH^· (29%) is also proposed at this pH. In the reaction of O^·− with 2AP, it is proposed that a similar nitrogen centered 2AP-N(9)^· radical is formed by an electron-transfer reaction at N(9).     

Chemical Alterations in Native Histone Octamer Complexes Induced by the Attak of · OH and · N3 Radicals

·OH Radicals generated by short electron-beam pulses were allowed to attack histone octamer complexes (extracted from calf-thymus chromatin) in N₂O-saturated dilute solution (0.5–1.3 g/l, [NaClO₄] = 1 – 2M , pH 9). They induced a volume contraction due to intra-complex cross-linking. In this process, essentially non-tyrosine moieties of the proteins were involved. Phenol coupling via tyrosyl radicals occurred mainly as an intramolecular reaction, i.e., it was restricted to single histone moelecules. Furthermore, it turned out that only about 55% of the tyrosine moieties were accessible to attacking ·OH and/or ·N₃ radicals. When ·N₃ radicals were generated via continuous irradiation of N₂O-saturated octamer solutions containing NaN₃ with ⁶⁰Co-γ-rays, dimers, trimers, and tetramers were detected by SDS gel electrophoresis, in contrast to pulse radiolysis where only dimers were found. These results were explained in terms of denaturation being induced by small chemical changes and causing partial or complete dissociation of the complexes thus permitting, in the course of the γ-irradiation, the attack and conversion of amino-acid moieties non-accessible in the native octamer complexes. Removal of steric restrictions for the combination of tyrosyl radicals may also play a role. By time-resolved absorption measurements, it was shown that, upon the attack of intact octamer complexes by ·OH radicals, tyrosyl radicals were formed which were converted to dityrosine groups according to two modes with half-lives of several 100 m?s and 1–2 ms, respectively. Cross-linking of histone molecules occurred with a definitely lower rate (1st half-life: 50 100 ms). This process was detectable both by optical absorption measurements at λ = 300 400 nm and by light-scattering measurements.     

A pathway of free radical generation via copper corrosion and its application to oxygen and ozone activation for the oxidative destruction of organic pollutants

This study investigated the commercially available zero-valent copper powder and copper foil to activate molecular oxygen (O₂) and ozone for the degradation of organic pollutants. Under aerobic atmospheric conditions, copper powder effectively removed 50 mg/L of acetaminophen (ACT) within 2 h, though the degradation rate using the foil was less than 20% of the powder. However, copper foil activated ozone to effectively degrade ACT. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached a high of 58.3% at a catalyst concentration of 40 g/L, but only 26.8% with ozone alone. The initial solution pH and dosage of copper foil were key operational parameters affecting the ozone activation process. H₂O₂ and Cu(I) were important intermediates in the process as hydroxyl radicals (^·OH) were identified via EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) experiments and free radical scavengers. The generation of ^·OH was attributed to a Fenton-like reaction between Cu(I) and H₂O₂; this free-radical generation mechanism differs from typical transition metal oxide catalysts. This study outlines a promising approach to significantly increase the generation of ^·OH and effectively remove refractory organic compounds. Furthermore, these copper products are applied in structural components of practical water treatment. Thus, the study of corrosion resistance to oxygen and ozone in aqueous solution have both a practical and theoretical significance. It was determined that copper products were resistant to oxygen corrosion in aqueous solution, but not resistant to ozone corrosion.     

Photophysical and photochemical processes of riboflavin (vitamin B2) by means of the transient absorption spectra in aqueous solution

Using time-resolved techniques of 337 and 248 nm laser flash photolysis, the photo physical and photochemical processes of riboflavin (RF, vitamin B₂) were studied in detail in aqueous solution. The excited triplet state of riboflavin (³RF^*) was produced with 337 nm laser, while under 248 nm irradiation, both³RF^* and hydrated electron (e_aq) formed from photoionization could be detected. Photobiological implications have been inferred on the basis of reactivity of³RF^* including energy transfer, electron transfer and hydrogen abstraction. The RF^·+ was generated by oxidation of SO₄ ^·-radical with the aim of confirming the results of photolysis.     

Free radical inactivation of trypsin

Reactivities of free radical oxidants, ^.OH, Br^-·₂ and Cl₃COO^. and a reductant, CO^-·₂, with trypsin and reactive protein components were determined by pulse radiolysis of aqueous solutions at pH 7, 20°C. Highly reactive free radicals, ^.OH, Br^-·₂ and CO^-·₂, react with trypsin at diffusion controlled rates, k(^.OH + trypsin) = 8.2 × 10¹⁰ M^-1 s^-1, k(Br^-·₂ + trypsin) = 2.55 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1 and k(CO^-·₂ + trypsin) = 2.6 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1. Moderately reactive trichloroperoxy radical, k(Cl₃COO^. + trypsin) = 3 × 10⁸ M^-1 s^-1, preferentially oxidizes histidine residues. The efficiency of inactivation of trypsin by free radicals is inversely proportional to their reactivity. The yields of inactivation of trypsin by ^.OH, Br^-·₂ and CO^-·₂ are low, G(inactivation) = 0.6-0.8, which corresponds to ∾ 10% of the initially produced radicals. In contrast, Cl₃COO^. inactivates trypsin with ∾ 50% efficiency, i.e. G(inactivation) = 3.2.     

Thermische Zersetzung von Afwillit Ca3(SiO3OH)2 · 2 H2O

Thermal Decomposition of Afwillite Ca₃(SiO₃OH)₂ · 2 H₂O Using the molybdate method [1], infrared, Raman, and high resolution solid state ¹H and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy two intermediate phases can be identified in the process of dehydration of afwillite: At temperatures of 250 to 300°C a non-crystalline phase is formed mainly (about 80 to 90% referred to Si) with a structure similar to mineral killalaite Ca₃OH(Si₂O₆OH) [2] and phase F [3]. Between 300 and 500°C this compound is converted to a non-crystalline kilchoanite-like phase γ-Ca₂SiO₄ · Ca₄Si₃O₁₀ [4], consisting of ordered γ-Ca₂SiO₄ and disordered trisilicate layers. By a side reaction polysilicate (about 10 to 20% referred to Si) is formed.