Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds
Published on: February 16, 2022
Nitric oxide release via oxygen atom transfer from nitrite at copper(ii)
Zeinab Sakhaei1, Subrata Kundu1, Jane M Donnelly1
1Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. thw@georgetown.edu.
Nitric oxide (NO) is crucial for blood flow. This study reveals a new pathway where copper(II) sites release NO through oxygen atom transfer from nitrite, expanding our understanding of NO biology.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Physiology
Background:
- Nitric oxide (NO) is a key signaling molecule regulating vital physiological processes like blood flow and oxygenation.
- Nitrite is recognized as a biological reservoir for NO.
- Copper-containing enzymes are known to catalyze nitrite reduction to NO.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel biochemical pathway for nitric oxide (NO) generation.
- To explore the role of copper sites in mediating NO release from nitrite.
- To elucidate the mechanism of oxygen atom transfer from nitrite at a copper(II) center.
Main Methods:
- Utilized copper(II) complexes as model systems.
- Investigated the reaction of copper(II) sites with nitrite.
- Analyzed the products of the reaction to identify NO release.
Main Results:
- A new pathway for nitric oxide (NO) release was identified.
- Oxygen atom transfer from nitrite to a copper(II) site was demonstrated as the mechanism.
- This pathway provides an alternative route for NO generation in biological systems.
Conclusions:
- Copper(II) sites can facilitate NO release from nitrite via oxygen atom transfer.
- This finding introduces a new biochemical mechanism for NO production.
- Understanding this pathway enhances knowledge of NO regulation in biology.
Related Concept Videos
01:371° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Mechanism
02:52Resonance
03:08Rate-Determining Steps
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
01:261° Amines to Diazonium or Aryldiazonium Salts: Diazotization with NaNO2 Overview
The nitrous acid is unstable. Hence, it is formed in situ from a solution of sodium nitrite and cold aqueous acids such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. In an acidic solution, the –OH group of nitrous acid undergoes protonation to give oxonium ion, followed by...
01:20Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Nitration of Benzene
02:54Lewis Structures of Molecular Compounds and Polyatomic Ions