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Abstract
Hydroxyl radicals, generated by reaction of an iron-EDTA complex with H2O2 in the
presence of ascorbic acid, attack deoxyribose to form products that, upon heating
with thiobarbituric acid at low pH, yield a pink chromogen. Added hydroxyl radical
"scavengers" compete with deoxyribose for the hydroxyl radicals produced and diminish
chromogen formation. A rate constant for reaction of the scavenger with hydroxyl radical
can be deduced from the inhibition of color formation. For a wide range of compounds,
rate constants obtained in this way are similar to those determined by pulse radiolysis.
It is suggested that the deoxyribose assay is a simple and cheap alternative to pulse
radiolysis for determination of rate constants for reaction of most biological molecules
with hydroxyl radicals. Rate constants for reactions of ATP, ADP, and Good's buffers
with hydroxyl radicals have been determined by this method.