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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

The Portable Chemical Sterilizer (PCS), D-FENS, and D-FEND ALL: Novel Chlorine Dioxide Decontamination Technologies for the Military
Published on: June 29, 2014
Dioxiranes generated in situ from pyruvates and oxone as environmentally friendly oxidizing agents for disinfection
Man-Kin Wong1, Tak-Chung Chan, Wai-Yee Chan
1Department of Chemistry and Open Laboratory of Chemical Biology of the Institute of Molecular Technology for Drug Discovery and Synthesis, The University of Hong Kong, China. mkwong@hkusua.hku.hk
Abstract:
Dioxiranes generated in situ from pyruvates (alpha-keto esters) and Oxone have been found to be environmentally friendly oxidizing agents for disinfection. These oxidizing agents were highly effective for destruction of various strains of bacteria, fungi, and bacterial endospores in a wide temperature range with exceptional stability. Notably, by using an aqueous solution of methyl pyruvate (1a) and Oxone/NaHCO3, complete destruction of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and fungus Penicillium corylophilum was achieved within 5 min at 20 degrees C at neutral pH. Highly chemical-resistant bacterial endospores of Bacillus cereus could also be destroyed. The high antibacterial activity of 1a could be attributed to its strong electron-withdrawing alpha-ester group.
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