Radicals Formed by Electron Transfer to Pyrimidine Derivatives

Summary The reactions of electrons with some pyrimidine derivatives were investigated. The electrons, produced photolytically in alkaline glasses, were reacted with solutes to form anions. It was found that anions of thymidine and thymidine-5′-phosphate easily undergo proton transfer from surrounding water molecules to the C6 position of the thymine ring. Anions of uracil and deoxycytidine do not undergo corresponding proton transfer reactions in the aqueous matrix at low temperatures. The role of electrons in the radiolysis of thymine-containing compounds including DNA is discussed. It is shown that electron reactions can account for the formation of the eight-lined E.S.R. spectrum formed in the radiolysis of these compounds.