Oxidation of organic substrates in aerated aqueous solutions by the Fenton reagent

There is only limited information about Fenton reactions involving organic substrates in oxygenated systems. In the presence of dioxygen, substrate radicals •R are generally converted rapidly into peroxyl radicals, •OOR, so that these radicals are the main reactive species in aerated aqueous systems under the majority of conditions. It is argued that the reactions of the peroxyl radicals with the transition metal complexes present in the solution are the key steps in determining the nature of the products and their yields.