Abstract

Stable free radicals derived from 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS(.+)) have been extensively employed to monitor the antioxidant capacity of biological fluids and beverages. Besides reacting with typical antioxidants (such as phenols or thiols) these radicals react with a variety of hydrogen or electron donors. The present work reports on the kinetics and mechanism of these radical reactions with several amino acids. Reaction rates notably increase when the pH of the media increases and, when measured under similar conditions, follows the order cysteine > > tryptophan > tyrosine > histidine > cystine The kinetics of the process is interpreted in terms of a mechanism comprising an initial pH dependent reversible step, followed by secondary reactions of the substrate derived radical with itself or with another ABTS(.+); this simple three-step mechanism leads to very complex kinetic expressions. The specific rate constants of several of the elementary steps were determined by working under a wide range of substrate, radical, and ABTS concentrations. The values obtained for the initial interaction between the ABTS derived radical and the substrate range from 0.5 M-1 s(-1) to 1.9 + 10(6) M-1 s(-1) for histidine and cysteine, respectively.