The chain oxidation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.NADH by perhydroxyl radicals and propagated by molecular oxygen was studied by the xanthine-xanthine oxidase system, 60Co gamma-ray, and pulse radiolysis. The chain length, amount of NADH oxidized per HO2 generated, increases with increasing acidity of the medium and reaches a value of 73 at pH 5.0. The rate constant for the oxidation of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.NADH complex by HO2 was estimated to be 2 X 10(7) M-1 S-1 at ambient temperatures (23-24 degrees C). Rate studies as a function of pH indicate that O2- is unreactive toward the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.NADH complex. Other dehydrogenases (malate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and isocitric dehydrogenase) studied showed no catalytic activity in the oxidation of NADH by HO2/O2-.