ONOO− reactsnucleophilically withcarbon dioxide.[6]In vivo, the concentration of carbon dioxide is about 1 mM, and its reaction with ONOO− occurs quickly. Thus, under physiological conditions, the reaction of ONOO− with carbon dioxide to formnitrosoperoxycarbonate (ONOOCO− 2) is by far the predominant pathway for ONOO−.ONOOCO− 2 homolyzes to form carbonate radical and nitrogen dioxide, again as a pair ofcaged radicals. Approximately 66% of the time, these two radicals recombine to form carbon dioxide and nitrate. The other 33% of the time, these two radicals escape the solvent cage and become free radicals. It is these radicals (carbonate radical andnitrogen dioxide) that are believed to cause peroxynitrite-related cellular damage.
^Bohle, D. Scott; Sagan, Elisabeth S. (2004). "Main Group Compounds".Tetramethylammonium Salts of Superoxide and Peroxynitrite. Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 34. p. 36.doi:10.1002/0471653683.ch1.ISBN978-0-471-64750-8.
^Szabó, C; Ischiropoulos, H; Radi, R (2007). "Peroxynitrite: Biochemistry, pathophysiology and development of therapeutics".Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.6 (8):662–80.doi:10.1038/nrd2222.PMID17667957.
^Beckman, J. S; Koppenol, W. H (1996). "Nitric oxide, superoxide, and peroxynitrite: The good, the bad, and ugly".American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology.271 (5 Pt 1): C1424–37.doi:10.1152/ajpcell.1996.271.5.C1424.PMID8944624.