Abstract
MANY studies have shown that singlet molecular oxygen can oxidise a variety of organic substances1–7. These studies have included biologically important compounds present in the aquatic environment such as amino acids4,7 and pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons5 and pesticides6. No data, however, have been obtained to demonstrate that reactions involving singlet oxygen (often called oxygenations) are sufficiently rapid to be significant in natural waters. The most likely mechanism for oxygenation in the environment was originally proposed by Kautsky8 by which light energy absorbed by a sensitiser is transferred to ground-state oxygen to form singlet oxygen, which in turn reacts with the organic substance, or ‘acceptor’ (A), to form a peroxide. Here we present evidence that rapid photochemical generation of singlet oxygen occurs in inland and coastal water bodies of the south-eastern United States.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Foote, C. S. Acc. Chem. Res. 1, 104–110 (1968).
Gollnick, K. Adv. Photochem. 6, 1–122 (1968).
Kearns, D. R. Chem. Rev. 71, 395–427 (1971).
Nilsson, R., Merkel, P. B. & Kearns, D. R. Photochem. Photobiol. 16, 117–124 (1972).
Stevens, B., Perez, S. R. & Ors, J. A. J. Am. chem. Soc. 96, 6846–6850 (1974).
Wolfe, N. L., Zepp, R. G., Baughman, G. L., Fincher, R. C. & Gordon, J. A. Chemical and Photochemical Transformation of Selected Pesticides in Aquatic Systems, (US Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA, rep. no. EPA-600/3-76-067, 1976).
Foote, C. S. in Free Radicals in Biology, II, (edit. by Pryor, W.), 85–133 (Academic, New York, 1976).
Kautsky, H. Trans. Farad. Soc. 35, 216–219 (1939).
Merkel, P. B. & Kearns, D. R. J. Am. chem. Soc. 94, 7244–7253 (1972).
Foote, C. S. et al. Tetrahedron 23, 2583–2599 (1967).
Junk, G. A. et al. J. Chromatogr. 99, 745–762 (1974).
Armstrong, K. F. & Robinson, R. J. chem. Soc. 1650 (1934).
Oannès, C. & Wilson, T. J. Am. chem. Soc. 90, 6528 (1968).
Gollnick, K., Franken, T., Schade, G. & Dörhöfer, G. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 171, 89–107 (1970).
Young, R. H., Wehrly, K. & Martin, R. L. J. Am. chem. Soc. 93, 5774–5779 (1971).
Hatchard, C. G. & Parker, C. A. Proc. R. Soc. A 235, 518–536 (1956).
Moses, F. G., Liu, R. S. H. & Monroe, B. M. Molec. Photochem. 1, 245–250 (1969).
Gjessing, E. T. Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Aquatic Humus, 1–84 (Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, 1976).
Zepp, R. G. & Cline, D. M. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11, 359–366 (1977).
Ueda, K., Gaughan, L. C. & Casida, J. E. J. Agric. Fd. Chem. 22, 212–220 (1974).
Andelman, J. B. & Snodgrass, J. E. in Critical Reviews in Environmental Control 5, 69–83 (Chemical Rubber Company, Cleveland, 1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
ZEPP, R., WOLFE, N., BAUGHMAN, G. et al. Singlet oxygen in natural waters. Nature 267, 421–423 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/267421a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/267421a0
This article is cited by
-
Phototransformation kinetics of cyanobacterial toxins and secondary metabolites in surface waters
Environmental Sciences Europe (2021)
-
Janus electrocatalytic flow-through membrane enables highly selective singlet oxygen production
Nature Communications (2020)
-
Ultraviolet photolysis of metformin: mechanisms of environmental factors, identification of intermediates, and density functional theory calculations
Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2020)
-
Study of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) of the Auzon cut-off meander (Allier River, France) by spectral and photoreactivity approaches
Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2020)
-
Photodegradation of Oxytetracycline in the Presence of Dissolved Organic Matter and Chloride Ions: Importance of Reactive Chlorine Species
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (2019)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
