title: Do copper ions influence the reduction of ferricytochrome C by O-2?
abstract: Recently, it was suggested that the measured rate of reduction of ferricytochrome C by O-2 below pH 8, was too high in the presence of high concentrations of formate (Koppenol, W.H., Van Buuren, K.J.H., Butler J. and Braams, R. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 449, 157-168). The high values were attributed to the presence of impurities of copper, which compete for O-2. This assumption is consistent with either a decrease in the reduction yield of ferricytochrome C in the presence of copper, or with a very fast reaction of Cu(I) with ferricytochrome C. It was previously shown by us and by others that the reduction yield of ferricytochrome C by O-2 IS 100%. We measured the rate of reduction of ferricytochrome C by Cu(I), and found that this reaction is slow: k = (1.5 +/- 0.5) . 10(3) M-1 . s-1. Therefore, our results rule out the possibility that below pH 8 copper impurities affect the measured rate constant of the reduction of ferricytochrome C by O-2.
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen
chemical_list: D003574:Cytochrome c Group; D003300:Copper; D010100:Oxygen