Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 1, 2026

A Protocol for Detecting and Scavenging Gas-phase Free Radicals in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke
Published on: January 2, 2012
Free radical scavengers: chemical concepts and clinical relevance
1Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
Free radicals are involved in the pathology of many CNS disorders, like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, or stroke. This discovery lead to the development of many radical scavengers for the clinical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, the different chemical concepts for free radical scavenging will be discussed: nitrons, thiols, iron chelators, phenols, and catechols. Especially catechols, like the naturally occurring flavonols, the synthetic drug nitecapone, or the endogenous catacholamines and their metabolites, are of great interest, as they combine iron chelating with radical scavenging activity. We present data on the radical scvenging activity of dopamine and apomorphine, which prevent lipid peroxidation in rat brain mitochondria and protect PC12 cells against H2O2-toxicity.
Related Concept Videos
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox property is crucial in...
Radical Formation: Addition
Similar to charge conservation in chemical reactions, spin conservation is implicit for radical reactions. Accordingly, the product formed must possess an unpaired...
Radical Reactivity: Overview
Radical Reactivity: Steric Effects
Along with electronic factors, steric factors also account...
Radical Reactivity: Electrophilic Radicals
Radical Autoxidation

