Oxidation of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) under nanosecond-pulsed nonthermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Abstract

NAC solutions in water and phosphate buffer were treated with nonthermal plasma generated by using a nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) device, and the products generated after plasma treatments were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance. Our results demonstrate that NAC was oxidized to acetic acid, 2-amino-3-mercaptopropanoic acid, 2-aminoethanethiol, and 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid. The concentrations of these compounds are time dependent with plasma treatment. Mechanisms of NAC under the DBD plasma are also proposed in this study, and the products and mechanisms differ from those generated by microsecond-pulsed DBD plasma.