Research

He studies how free radicals damage DNA, proteins and lipids, and which molecules can prevent it. Some do so by trapping the radical, and others by chemically repairing damage that has already occurred. He calculates not only whether a molecule can protect, but how fast it does so under physiological conditions, since that determines whether it actually works. He has analyzed melatonin, glutathione, vitamin C and dietary polyphenols. He also designs new antioxidants computationally before they are synthesized.

This is the line with which he began his career. He studies how the hydroxyl radical (·OH), the atmosphere's main "cleanser," breaks down organic pollutants such as aldehydes, alkanes and alkenes. He calculates how fast these reactions occur and what products they generate. Among his contributions, he showed the role of pre-reactive complexes, an intermediate step that explains unexpected kinetic behavior.