Determination and application of the equilibrium oxygen isotope effect between water and sulfite

We examine the implication of these results in a sulfate reduction network that has been revised to reflect our understanding of the reactions involving oxygen. By evaluating previously published data within this new architecture, our results are consistent with previous suggestions of high reversibility of the sulfate reduction biochemical network. We also demonstrate that intracellular exchange rates between SO32- and water must be on average 1-3 orders of magnitude more rapid than intracellular fluxes of sulfate reduction intermediates and that kinetic isotope effects upstream of SO32- are required to explain previous laboratory and environmental studies of δ18OSO4 resulting as a consequence of sulfate reduction.