Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?
Hess's Law03:40

Hess's Law

There are two ways to determine the amount of heat involved in a chemical change: measure it experimentally, or calculate it from other experimentally determined enthalpy changes. Some reactions are difficult, if not impossible, to investigate and make accurate measurements for experimentally. And even when a reaction is not hard to perform or measure, it is convenient to be able to determine the heat involved in a reaction without having to perform an experiment.
The Born-Haber Cycle02:44

The Born-Haber Cycle

Lattice Energy
Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility01:34

Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility

Electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions, and sigmatropic rearrangements are concerted pericyclic reactions that proceed via a cyclic transition state. These reactions are stereospecific and regioselective. The stereochemistry of the products depends on the symmetry characteristics of the interacting orbitals and the reaction conditions. Accordingly, pericyclic reactions are classified as either symmetry-allowed or symmetry-forbidden. Woodward and Hoffmann presented the selection criteria for...
Benzene to 1,4-Cyclohexadiene: Birch Reduction Mechanism01:18

Benzene to 1,4-Cyclohexadiene: Birch Reduction Mechanism

Birch reduction uses solvated electrons as reducing agents. The reaction converts benzene to 1,4-cyclohexadiene. The reaction proceeds by the transfer of a single electron to the ring to form a benzene radical anion. This anion is highly basic—it abstracts a proton from the alcohol to form a cyclohexadienyl radical. Another single electron transfer gives the cyclohexadienyl anion. A proton transfer from the alcohol forms 1,4-cyclohexadiene. Since this reduction occurs via radical anion...
The Carnot Cycle01:30

The Carnot Cycle

Converting work to heat is an irreversible process, and the purpose of a heat engine is to reverse the effect partially. Heat engines aim to increase the efficiency of the reversal, that is, maximize the work retrieved from heat. If the efficiency of a heat engine were 100%, it would imply reversing the process completely without introducing any other effect. Thus, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
What could be the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine? The...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Iron and redox cycling. Do's and don'ts.

Free radical biology & medicine·2018
Same author

Is your manuscript ready for Free Radical Redox Report of Research in Biology and Medicine? A guide for authors.

Redox report : communications in free radical research·2016
Same author

Reaction of peroxynitrite with L-tryptophan.

Redox report : communications in free radical research·2016
Same author

Reaction of peroxynitrite with L-tryptophan.

Redox report : communications in free radical research·2016
Same author

100 years of peroxynitrite chemistry and 11 years of peroxynitrite biochemistry.

Redox report : communications in free radical research·2002
Same author

NO nomenclature?

Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry·2002

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
10:21

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions

Published on: October 5, 2019

The Haber-Weiss cycle--70 years later.

W H Koppenol1

  • 1Laboratorium für Anorganische Chemie, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule, Zürich, Switzerland. koppenol@inorg.chem.ethz.ch

Redox Report : Communications in Free Radical Research
|October 20, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Haber-Weiss cycle, proposed to explain superoxide toxicity, has been disproven. Research indicates the Fenton reaction, not Haber-Weiss, is responsible for toxicity, suggesting the Haber-Weiss cycle should be disregarded.

More Related Videos

Determination of the Photoisomerization Quantum Yield of a Hydrazone Photoswitch
09:33

Determination of the Photoisomerization Quantum Yield of a Hydrazone Photoswitch

Published on: February 7, 2022

Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging
05:45

Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging

Published on: March 31, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
10:21

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions

Published on: October 5, 2019

Determination of the Photoisomerization Quantum Yield of a Hydrazone Photoswitch
09:33

Determination of the Photoisomerization Quantum Yield of a Hydrazone Photoswitch

Published on: February 7, 2022

Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging
05:45

Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging

Published on: March 31, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Free Radical Chemistry
  • Oxidative Stress Research

Background:

  • The Haber-Weiss cycle was historically proposed to explain the toxicity of superoxide radicals.
  • Early research by George (1947) indicated the insignificance of a key Haber-Weiss reaction step.
  • The cycle was revived in the 1970s but later disproven due to low rate constants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the historical and scientific validity of the Haber-Weiss cycle in the context of oxygen toxicity.
  • To clarify the role of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in generating toxic hydroxyl radicals.
  • To determine the appropriate reaction mechanism to cite for oxidative stress.

Main Methods:

  • Historical literature review of the Haber-Weiss cycle and related research.
  • Analysis of experimental data concerning reaction rates and mechanisms.
  • Comparison of the Haber-Weiss cycle with the Fenton reaction in explaining oxidative toxicity.

Main Results:

  • The rate constant for the Haber-Weiss reaction was confirmed to be very low, supporting George's earlier findings.
  • The Fenton reaction (Fe2+ + H2O2) is the primary mechanism responsible for generating toxic hydroxyl radicals.
  • The Haber-Weiss cycle, in its original or singlet oxygen forms, does not significantly contribute to toxicity.

Conclusions:

  • The Haber-Weiss cycle should be disregarded in discussions of oxygen toxicity and oxidative stress.
  • The Fenton reaction is the established pathway for hydroxyl radical generation from superoxide and hydrogen peroxide.
  • Future research and literature should accurately reflect the Fenton reaction as the key toxic mechanism.