Formation of a TBA reaction product from crown ether in the presence of KO2

Potassium superoxide (KO2), which can be dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide containing crown ether, has been used as a source of O2-. for superoxide reaction systems. We have found that crown ether reacts with thiobarbituric acid (TBA) in the presence of KO2 to form a red pigment, which is a well-known reaction product of lipoperoxide.