Studies on the Degradation Mechanisms of Sulfurcontaining Amino Acids and Their Derivatives by Ionizing Radiation - Thiazolidine Derivatives

L-Cysteine, L-cystine, thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, 2-(2-furyl)thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and 2-phenylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid in 0.0004 - 0.01 Maqueous solutions were irradiated at 20 - 25°C byexposure to γ-rays from Co-60 source for about 50 hrs.(5 Mrads) in sealed Pyrex glass tubes under nitrogen and oxygen atmospheres. Some estimations of degradation products were carried out by gas chromatography, thin-layer chromatographyand by spectrophotometric methods. As the results of H2S and NH3 determinations, a cnsiderable oxygen effect was observed. G values of H2S were unexpectedly small (in case of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid at oxygen atmosphere GH2S = 0.034), and a large proportion of sulfur fragments seems to be changed into disulfides and oxides of sulfur compounds.