Dosimetry determines the initial OH radical concentration in fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP)

Fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) employs laser photolysis of hydrogen peroxide to give OH radicals that label amino acid side-chains of proteins on the microsecond time scale. A method for quantitation of hydroxyl radicals after laser photolysis is of importance to FPOP because it establishes a means to adjust the yield of •OH, offers the opportunity of tunable modifications, and provides a basis for kinetic measurements. The initial concentration of OH radicals has yet to be measured experimentally. We report here an approach using isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine quantitatively the initial •OH concentration (we found ~0.95 mM from 15 mM H2O2) from laser photolysis and to investigate the quenching efficiencies for various •OH scavengers.