Abstract
Nucleic acid oxidation plays a vital role in the etiology and treatment of diseases, as well as aging. Reagents that oxidize nucleic acids are also useful probes of the biopolymers' structure and folding. Radiation scientists have contributed greatly to our understanding of nucleic acid oxidation using a variety of techniques. During the past two decades organic chemists have applied the tools of synthetic and mechanistic chemistry to independently generate and study the reactive intermediates produced by ionizing radiation and other nucleic acid damaging agents. This approach has facilitated resolving mechanistic controversies and lead to the discovery of new reactive processes.