Radiation-Chemical Decomposition of Malondialdehyde in Aqueous Solutions

The radiolysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) in acidic (pH 3) and alkaline (pH 11) aqueous solutions has been studied using UV spectrometry, HPLC, and chemical analysis. It has been found that in an acidic medium, the radiation-chemical yield of degradation of MDA at concentrations greater than 3 × 10^–4 mol/L exceeds 10 molecule/100 eV, indicating the occurrence of chain processes. It has been established that dissolved oxygen plays an important role in the chain process of MDA decomposition. A system of reactions was proposed to explain the results of the experiments.