title: Free radicals produced by the oxidation of gallic acid: An electron paramagnetic resonance study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is found in a wide variety of plants; it is extensively used in tanning, ink dyes, as well as in the manufacturing of paper. The gallate moiety is a key component of many functional phytochemicals. In this work electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR) was used to detect the free radicals generated by the air-oxidation of gallic acid.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that gallic acid produces two different radicals as a function of pH. In the pH range between 7-10, the spectrum of the gallate free radical is a doublet of triplets (aH = 1.00 G, aH = 0.23 G, aH = 0.28 G). This is consistent with three hydrogens providing hyperfine splitting. However, in a more alkaline environment, pH >10, the hyperfine splitting pattern transforms into a 1:2:1 pattern (aH (2) = 1.07 G). Using D2O as a solvent, we demonstrate that the third hydrogen (i.e. aH = 0.28 G) at lower pH is a slowly exchanging hydron, participating in hydrogen bonding with two oxygens in ortho position on the gallate ring. The pKa of this proton has been determined to be 10.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This simple and novel approach permitted the understanding of the prototropic equilibrium of the semiquinone radicals generated by gallic acid, a ubiquitous compound, allowing new insights into its oxidation and subsequent reactions.
authors.affiliation: Free Radical and Radiation Biology, Med Labs B180, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1181, USA. garry-buettner@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Angelique C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Eslami
authors.forename: Wanvimol
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pasanphan
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Garry R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Buettner