Representative reactions of these salts involve using superoxide as a nucleophile, e.g., in converting alkyl bromides to alcohols and acyl chlorides to diacyl peroxides.

[11] The Russian Space Agency has successfully used potassium superoxide in chemical oxygen generators for its spacesuits and Soyuz spacecraft.

Potassium superoxide was also used in a rudimentary life support system for five mice as part of the Biological Cosmic Ray Experiment on Apollo 17.

[12] KO2 has also been used in canisters for rebreathers for firefighting and mine rescue, and in cartridges for chemical oxygen generators on submarines.

This highly exothermic reaction with water is also the reason why potassium superoxide has had only limited use in scuba rebreathers.