Tetramethylammonium Salts of Superoxide and Peroxynitrite

Submitted by D. SCOTT BOHLE and ELISABETH S. SAGAN Checked by WILLEM H. KOPPENOL and REINHARD KISSNER  

Peroxynitrite is an important cytotoxin that results in vivo from the direct reaction of superoxide and nitric oxide. There are several methods to synthesize peroxynitrite, including the solid-state photolysis of KNOs, the ozonation of sodium azide, or the alkaline reaction of nitrite esters with hydrogen peroxide. Perhaps the most common peroxynitrite synthesis involves treating an acidified solution of hydrogen peroxide with nitrite, followed by an immediate quench with base. Although this synthesis is facile, quick, and affordable, it results in 

---