Can chlorine dioxide prevent the spreading of coronavirus or other viral infections? Medical hypotheses.

Motivation: Viruses have caused many epidemics throughout human history. The novel coronavirus [10] is just the latest example. A new viral outbreak can be unpredictable, and development of specific defense tools and countermeasures against the new virus remains time-consuming even in today's era of modern medical science and technology. In the lack of effective and specific medication or vaccination, it would be desirable to have a nonspecific protocol or substance to render the virus inactive, a substance/protocol, which could be applied whenever a new viral outbreak occurs. This is especially important in cases when the emerging new virus is as infectious as SARS-CoV-2 [4]. Aims and structure of the present communication: In this editorial, we propose to consider the possibility of developing and implementing antiviral protocols by applying high purity aqueous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) solutions. The aim of this proposal is to initiate research that could lead to the introduction of practical and effective antiviral protocols. To this end, we first discuss some important properties of the ClO2 molecule, which make it an advantageous antiviral agent, then some earlier results of ClO2 gas application against viruses will be reviewed. Finally, we hypothesize on methods to control the spread of viral infections using aqueous ClO2 solutions.

Negative salt effect in an acid-base diode: Simulations and experiments.

The paper describes a new phenomenon discovered in the electrolytic analog of a semiconductor diode. As an example, the phenomenon is studied in the 0.1M KOH-0.1M HCl diode where the alkaline and the acidic reservoirs are connected by a hydrogel cylinder. First the traditional, so-called positive salt effect is discussed. In that case some salt is added to the alkaline reservoir of a reverse biased electrolyte diode and as a result, close to a critical concentration of the added salt the electric current increases sharply. The so-called negative salt effect appears as a suppression of the positive one. It is shown by numerical simulations, by approximate analytical formulae, and also by experiments that the high current caused by the salt contamination in the alkaline reservoir can be mostly suppressed by relatively small salt concentrations in the acidic reservoir. Thus a straightforward application of the negative salt effect would be the sensitive detection of nonhydrogen cations in an acidic medium (e.g., in ion chromatography).

HPLC analysis of complete BZ systems. Evolution of the chemical composition in cerium and ferroin catalysed batch oscillators: experiments and model calculations.

In the last few years many new reaction routes and intermediates have been discovered in the mechanism of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction with the aid of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These previous HPLC studies, however, were limited to the Ce(4+)-organic substrate (malonic or bromomalonic acid) systems only. Very recently some measurements were made on a cerium catalysed full BZ system but only in its induction period. The present work follows the evolution of the main chemical components in a cerium and in a ferroin catalysed full BZ system from the start until the end of the oscillatory regime in a batch reactor. While recording the potential oscillations of a bromide selective electrode we measured from time to time the concentration of the following components: malonic and bromomalonic acids and bromate as main components; malonyl malonate, ethanetetracarboxylic and bromoethenetricarboxylic acids which are recombination products of organic free radicals; oxidized intermediates: tartronic, oxalic (OA) and mesoxalic (MOA) acids, and brominated products: dibromoacetic and tribromoacetic acids. Recombination products are generated in the intervals when the autocatalytic reaction is "switched off". In the course of the autocatalytic periods, however, the organic radicals react with the inorganic bromine dioxide radical mainly which leads to the formation of MOA and OA. Due to a very fast Ce(4+)-MOA reaction, MOA can be detected in the ferroin catalysed BZ system only. Our model calculations deal exclusively with the cerium catalysed system. The suggested new Marburg-Budapest-Missoula (MBM) model includes both negative feedback loops (bromous acid-bromide ion Oregonator type and bromine dioxide-organic free radicals Radicalator type feedback) and the recently discovered radical-radical recombination reactions. Comparison of the experimental data with the model calculations shows a good qualitative agreement but some open problems still remain. To overcome these problems oxygen atom transfer and other redox reactions are proposed.