Polymorphic behavior of oxygen

The presence of oxygen is fundamentally important for life on Earth, but a new study has uncovered the “polymorphic behavior” of oxygen, revealing that its molecules can act as both a friend and a destructive enemy to living systems. The research highlights how oxygen shifts between its friendly and destructive forms in various ways, with one destructive form, singlet oxygen, identified as a major source of parasitic reactions in electric batteries, where it produces superoxide and peroxide and corrodes electrolytes during charging and discharging. In biological contexts, this phenomenon is influenced by acidity, as acidic organelles are more likely to generate singlet oxygen, while alkaline organelles like the mitochondria are protected, demonstrating that even small changes in pH can have a significant impact. The findings of this research on oxygen’s polymorphic behavior were published in the journal Nature.

Source Based on reporting from Prothom Alo