Direct detection of superoxide anion generated in C60-photosensitized oxidation of NADH and an analogue by molecular oxygen

Abstract
Visible-light irradiation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-solubilized C60 in water in the presence of NADH (dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and molecular oxygen (O2) results in formation of superoxide anion (O2˙). Formation of O2˙ having a characteristic g value of 2.18 was evidenced by the direct observation with use of a low-temperature EPR technique at 77 K. Photoinduced O2˙ formation was also observed for an N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution of C60 and 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH) in the presence of O2, whereas C60 radical anion (C60˙) was formed in the absence of O2 under otherwise the same experimental conditions. These results suggest that C60 2− formed in the photoinduced electron-transfer reduction of C60 by BNAH acts as an electron donor to O2 to give O2˙ in NMP.