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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Detection of Nitric Oxide and Superoxide Radical Anion by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy from Cells using Spin Traps
Published on: August 18, 2012
Advances in the synthesis of nitroxide radicals for use in biomolecule spin labelling
Marius M Haugland1, Janet E Lovett, Edward A Anderson
1Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, 12 Mansfield Rd, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK. edward.anderson@chem.ox.ac.uk.
Abstract:
EPR spectroscopy is an increasingly useful analytical tool to probe biomolecule structure, dynamic behaviour, and interactions. Nitroxide radicals are the most commonly used radical probe in EPR experiments, and many methods have been developed for their synthesis, as well as incorporation into biomolecules using site-directed spin labelling. In this Tutorial Review, we discuss the most practical methods for the synthesis of nitroxides, focusing on the tunability of their structures, the manipulation of their sidechains into spin labelling handles, and their installation into biomolecules.
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