ABSTRACT
The Fenton reaction dates back to the end of the last century, when Fenton 1 , 2 described the powerful oxidizing properties of a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous salts. Experiments by Haber and Weiss 3 established the oxidizing species as the hydroxyl radical 40 years later. (These experiments were important in the history of chemistry because they helped establish the concept of transient free-radical intermediates in reaction mechanisms.) In recent years, the hydroxyl radical has been observed directly by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. 4
