Detection of Superoxide Anion and Singlet Oxygen in the Decomposition of Several Peroxovanadium(V) Complexes

Several peroxovanadium(V) complexes with an organic chelate ligand decompose spontaneously, depending on the nature of the chelate ligand. The self-decomposition reactions of the dinuclear peroxovanadium(V) complex with 2-oxo-l,3-diaminopropane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (dpot) and the peroxovanadium(V) complexes with N-carboxymethylhistidinate (cmhist) and histamine-N,N-diacetate (histada) accompany the reduction of vanadium(V) to vanadium(IV). This implies that the peroxide anion acts as a reducing agent and thus the peroxide is oxidized in the decomposition process of the peroxovanadium(V) complexes. The oxidized dioxygen species have been characterized spectrophotometrically. Superoxide anion has been detected in 2-3 % yields using the reduction of cytochrome c method and chemiluminescence method utilized MCLA as a fluorescer. Singlet oxygen has also been detected in higher yields on the basis of chemiluminescence of tryptophan.