45] Reactive absorption of ozone: An assay for reaction rates of ozone with sulfhydryl compounds and with other biological molecules

Abstract

Publisher Summary Ozone is toxic to both plants and animals. Because the reactions of ozone with many types of biological molecules are extremely fast, ozone reacts very close to the surface of tissues that are in direct contact with the atmosphere. In animals, ozone reacts with biomolecules present in the fluid lining the air passages of lungs. In plants, ozone reacts with biomolecules within the cell walls lining the air passages of leaves. As ozone is consumed within tissues through reactions with biological molecules, more ozone is drawn into the tissues in a process called reactive absorption. Mathematical models of reactive absorption are well established and provide a means of calculating reaction rate constants for gases that react with nonvolatile solutes in liquids. While most of the development of these mathematical models has occurred within the chemical engineering literature, the measurement of reactive absorption can provide some unique insights about ozone reactions with biological molecules close to the surface of a solution. Using a very simple apparatus, it is possible to obtain values for even very large reaction rate constants.