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Fate of superoxide in coastal sea water

Abstract

The superoxide anion (O2.− ) is a key intermediate in oxygen redox chemistry, and may mediate many chemical transformations in the ocean. The photochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide in sea water has been postulated1 to result from the disproportionation of superoxide, and here we report the results of a study which used the formation of H2O2 to characterize the dynamics of superoxide in coastal sea water. Midday rates of superoxide generation averaged 5 x 10-7 mol 1-1h-1. In addition to rapid disproportionation to hydrogen peroxide, a substantial fraction of the superoxide flux was shunted off through unknown pathways; 24–41% of the superoxide flux did not lead directly to H2O2 formation. Our calculations predicted accelerated decomposition of super-oxide in natural sea water relative to pure water; nevertheless, superoxide should be a relatively long-lived transient in sea water. We calculate the 50% decay time of a 10-8mol 1-1 steady-state level to be 20 min.

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Petasne, R., Zika, R. Fate of superoxide in coastal sea water. Nature 325, 516–518 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/325516a0

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