Low-frequency EPR study of chromium(V) formation from chromium(VI) in living plants

The reduction of Cr(VI) by green algae and higher plants was investigated using a low-frequency EPR spectrometer equipped with an extended loop gap resonator. Incubation of algae (Spirogyra and Mougeotia) with Cr(VI) generated both Cr(V) and Cr(III). The maximum Cr(V) signal was observed in about 10 minutes. Incubation of Cr(VI) with oat, soybean, and garlic generated Cr(V). The maximum Cr(V) peak appeared after more than 10 hours of incubation, and Cr(V) was located predominantly in the roots. The Cr(V) peak exhibited hyperfine splittings of about 0.79 gauss, typical of the Cr(V) complexes with diol-containing molecules. The results suggest that the reduction of Cr(VI) to lower oxidation states by living plants may provide a detoxification pathway for Cr(VI) in ecological systems. The results also indicate that low-frequency EPR may be used to investigate the metabolism of paramagnetic metal ions in intact plants.