Possibility of Anion Formation in Irradiated Frozen Solutions of Nucleic Acid Bases

Summary

From E.S.R. spectroscopy it is suggested that purine and pyrimidine anions are formed after gamma-irradiation of their alkaline solutions at − 196 °c. On warming to higher temperatures, the anions usually became hydrolysed, giving rise to secondary radicals formed by hydrogen addition. A direct relation was obtained between the yields of anions and radicals, which increased with the alkalinity of the solution. On exposure to visible light, anions decayed following second-order kinetics.