antioxidant, any of various chemical compounds added to certain foods, natural and synthetic rubbers, gasolines, and other substances to retard autoxidation, the process by which these substances combine with oxygen in the air at room temperature. Retarding autoxidation delays the appearance of such undesirable qualities as rancidity in foods, loss of elasticity in rubbers, and formation of gums in gasolines. Antioxidants most commonly used are such organic compounds as aromatic amines, phenols, and aminophenols.
Autoxidation has been found to proceed by a chain reaction; that is, a reaction consisting of a series of successive steps occurring in repetitive cycles, in each of which intermediate products called chain carriers are regenerated. Such a reaction will continue as long as the chain carriers persist. In autoxidation the chain carriers are free radicals, electrically neutral molecular fragments containing unpaired electrons. The chain can be initiated by thermally excited molecules, free radicals, metal catalysts, or light. Antioxidants, by reacting with chain carriers, terminate the oxidative chain reaction.
An example of autoxidation that is of great commercial concern is the one leading to the rancidity of fats, oils, and fatty foods. Rancidity is caused by the degradation of the fat molecule, by reaction with oxygen, to a mixture of volatile aldehydes, ketones, and acids. The reaction can be initiated by exposure to light or by the presence of trace amounts of metals that serve as catalysts. To retard the development of rancidity, organic antioxidants, commonly tocopherol, propyl gallate, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), or butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), are used. These compounds react with chain carriers by donating hydrogen atoms. The use of antioxidants for food is closely regulated in most countries. Specific limitations are normally imposed on the type and quantity of antioxidants that may be used.