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Detection of methyl, hydroxymethyl and hydroxyethyl hydroperoxides in air and precipitation

Nature volume 337, pages 631–634 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

It is well established that organic peroxides are formed by OH-radical-induced oxidation of hydrocarbons under atmospheric conditions1. Peroxyacyl nitrates have been known to be constituents of polluted air since the 1950s2,3. In a recent study we have shown that the gas-phase reaction of ozone with a variety of natural and anthropogenic alkenes can contribute to the formation of hydro-philic organic peroxides4. Indications that such peroxides are actually present in the environment have been obtained previously by measurements of the peroxide content of cloudwater and rain. In the absence of a specific analytical method the peroxide content after selective enzymatic destruction of the hydrogen peroxide was taken to be the organic peroxide fraction5-7. In this letter we report the determination by high-performance liquid chroma-tography of methyl (MHP; CH3OOH), hydroxymethyl (HMP; HOCH2OOH) and 1-hydroxyethyl (HEP; CH3CH(OH)OOH) hydroperoxides, in addition to H2O2, and present some preliminary concentration ranges in air and precipitation. The existence of this class of atmospheric trace constituents raises questions about possible adverse biological effects.

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  1. Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung mbH M¨nchen, Institut für Okologische Chemie, D-8050, Freising-Attaching, FRG

    E. Hellpointner & S. Gäb

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  1. E. Hellpointner
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  2. S. Gäb
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Hellpointner, E., Gäb, S. Detection of methyl, hydroxymethyl and hydroxyethyl hydroperoxides in air and precipitation. Nature 337, 631–634 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337631a0

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