Fenton reaction 

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.FT06786
Fe2+ + H2O2-->Fe3+ + OH· + OH−. This is the iron-@S05447@-dependent @D01547@ of dihydrogen peroxide, generating the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, possibly via an oxoiron(IV) intermediate. Addition of a reducing agent, such as ascorbate, leads to a cycle which increases the damage to biological molecules.
See also: Haber–Weiss reaction
Source:
PAC, 1997, 69, 1251. (Glossary of terms used in bioinorganic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1997)) on page 1274 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'Fenton reaction' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.FT06786 RIS BibTex EndNote
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Last revised: February 24, 2014