#REACTIVITY OF OXYGEN HOW TO#

We'll takeĪ general look, leaving out some important details so things aren't too

#REACTIVITY OF OXYGEN HOW TO#

To gain insight into how to improve industrial processes involving oxidation of To understand more about a biological system that is related to human health and Inįact, there is an entire field of chemists and biochemists who just focus onĬytochrome P450, trying to learn more about how it works. There is an entire field of chemists who study 'small moleculeĪctivation', which refers to the breakdown of things like O 2, N 2,ĬO or methane for their subsequent conversion into other compounds. Suitable for incorporation into other molecules? It's a very complicated In still other cases, hydroxylation is a dangerousĬomplication, converting a helpful pharmaceutical into a toxin.Įxactly how does the O 2 get broken into pieces Pharmaceuticals are not active until they are hydroxylated the reactionĪcts as an 'on' switch. Of these substances after they have done their job. The cytochrome P450 pathway is a major avenue for theīreakdown and excretion of pharmaceuticals, for instance. Otherwise, these hydrophobic molecules would build up in Via the urine or broken down via subsequent reactions. Water-solubility of small organic molecules, which are then more easily excreted The reaction may haveĮvolved for a number of reasons. The form of hydroxyl groups, is vitally important. The addition of oxygen atoms to molecules, typically in Type of enzyme is called a 'monooxygenase' because of the addition of one oxygen Substrate molecule the remaining oxygen atom is converted to water. One atom of oxygen from an O 2 molecule is incorporated into the Of enzymes involved in the oxidation of substrates, chiefly in the liver. Apart from its central role in metabolism, it also plays aĬrucial part in the modification of many compounds through the incorporation ofįor example, the cytochromes P450 form an important class Molecular oxygen is exploited in a variety of ways inīiology.

Reactivity of oxygen