Lipid peroxidation is often initiated using Cull ions. It is widely assumed that Cu-II oxidizes preformed lipid hydroperoxides to peroxyl radicals, which propagate oxidation of the parent fatty acid via hydrogen atom abstraction. However, the oxidation of alkyl hydroperoxides by Cu-II is thermodynamically unfavorable. An alternative, means by which Cu-II ions could initiate lipid peroxidation is by their one-electron reduction of lipid hydroperoxides to alkoxyl radicals, which would be accompanied by the generation of Cu-III. We have investigated by EPR spectroscopy, in conjunction with the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, the reactions of various Cull chelates with tert-butylhydroperoxide. Spectra contained signals from the tert-butoxyl, methyl, and methoxyl radical adducts. In many previous studies, the signal from the methoxyl adduct has been assigned incorrectly to the tert-butylperoxyl adduct, which is now known to be unstable, releasing the tert-butoxyl radical upon decomposition. This either is trapped by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide or undergoes beta-scission to the methyl radical, which either is trapped or reacts with molecular oxygen to give, ultimately, the methoxyl radical adduct. By using metal chelates that are known to be specific in either their oxidation or reduction of tert-butylhydroperoxide (the Cu-II complex of bathocuproine disulfonic acid and the Fell complex of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, respectively) for comparison, we have been able to deduce, from the relative concentrations of the three radical adducts, that the Cu-II complexes tested each reduce tert-butylhydroperoxide directly to the tert-butoxyl radical. These findings suggest that a previously overlooked reaction, namely the direct reduction of preformed lipid hydroperoxides to alkoxyl radicals by Cu-II, may be responsible for the initiation of lipid peroxidation by Cu-II ions.