The importance of mesomerism in the termination of alpha-carboxymethyl radicals from aqueous malonic and acetic acids.

In the dioxygen-free aqueous malonic and acetic acid systems. alpha-carboxymethyl radicals are produced through hydrogen abstraction from the parent compound by radiolytically generated OH radicals. H abstraction from the CO2-/CO2H group followed by decarboxylation is a process of small importance (< or = 5%). The alpha-carboxymethyl radicals terminate by recombination. Two types of recombination product are observed which are characterised by the formation of a C-C linkage or a C-O linkage. alpha-Carboxymethyl radicals are mesomeric systems. Their mesomeric state depends on the state of protonation and determines the proportion of the C-C- versus C-O-linked dehydrodimers they produce.

A common carbanion intermediate in the recombination and proton-catalysed disproportionation of the carboxyl radical anion, CO2*-, in aqueous solution.

The carboxyl radical anion, CO2*- was produced by the reactions of OH radicals with either CO or formic acid in aqueous solution. The pKa(*CO2H) was determined by pulse radiolysis with conductometric detection at pH approximately equals 2.3. The bimolecular decay rate constant of CO2*- (2k approximately equals 1.4 x 10(9) dm3mol(-1)s(-1)) was found to be independent of pH in the range 3-8 at constant ionic strength. The yields of the products of the bimolecular decay of the carboxyl radicals, CO2 and the oxalate anion were found to depend strongly on the pH of the solution with an inflection point at pH 3.8. This pH dependence is explained by assuming a head-to-tail recombination of the CO2*- radicals followed by either rearrangement to oxalate or a protonation of the adduct, which subsequently leads to the formation of CO2 and formate. The recombination of CO2*- to give oxalate directly is estimated to have a contribution of <25%.

Reaction of hydroxyl radicals with alkyl phosphates and the oxidation of phosphatoalkyl radicals by nitro compounds.

The rate constants for reactions of hydroxyl radicals with a number of alkyl phosphates have been determined by competition with KSCN. Hydroxyl radicals react with alkyl phosphates preferentially by H-abstraction at the alpha-position of the phosphate functions. The resulting alpha-phosphatoalkyl radicals are not very efficient one-electron reducing agents towards nitro compounds. They react with tetranitromethane (TNM) by addition to form adduct intermediates with absorption maxima at about 300 nm. The rate constants for decay of these TNM adducts to produce the nitroform anion (NF-) and the corresponding alpha-phosphato-alcohols have been determined by optical and/or conductance detection. The stability of these TNM adducts varies considerably with the chain length (methyl > ethyl > isopropyl) and number (trialkyl > dialkyl > monoalkyl) of the alkyl substituents. Additional formation of proton during or after the decay of the TNM adducts has been tentatively attributed to the hydrolysis of the alpha-phosphato-alcohols. Alpha-Phosphatoalkyl radicals derived from trimethyl, triethyl, triisopropyl, and diethyl phosphates react with p-nitroacetophenone (PNAP) very slowly (k < 5 x 10(7) dm3mol-1S-1) possibly forming adducts. One-electron reduction of PNAP by these radicals to PNAP.- was not observed under pulse radiolysis conditions. The rate constants for the reactions of .OH with glycerol 1-phosphate and glycerol 2-phosphate have been redetermined by competition with KSCN. Using the radical scavengers N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) and TNM, the percentage of .OH attack at each carbon atom was obtained. Contrary to the simple alkyl phosphates described above, the alpha-position to the phosphate function is the least favoured (10-15% in glycerol 1-phosphate and 6% in glycerol 2-phosphate). These so-formed alpha-phosphatoalkyl radicals react with TNM also by forming adducts. The beta-phosphatoalkyl radicals in both cases eliminate inorganic phosphate on formation (k > 10(6)S-1). The gamma-phosphatoalkyl radical from glycerol 1-phosphate undergoes base-catalysed water elimination (kobs = 1.8 x 10(5)S-1 at pH 10.6) to give an oxidizing radical. Products in the gamma-radiolysis of N2O-saturated solutions of glycerol 1-phosphate and glycerol 2-phosphate have been identified and their yields determined. The mechanisms for their formation are discussed.

Addition of e-aq and H atoms to hypoxanthine and inosine and the reactions of alpha-hydroxyalkyl radicals with purines. A pulse radiolysis and product analysis study.

The reactions of hydrated electrons e-aq with hypoxanthine and inosine were followed using pulse radiolysis methods. In a neutral solution the electron adduct of inosine is immediately protonated at the heteroatoms of the purine ring by water (k >> 2.5 x 10(6)s-1) to give In(N,O-H).. These N,O-protonated intermediates have a single absorption maximum at 300 nm. In basic solution the protonation of the electron adduct of inosine by water leads to other intermediate products with an absorption maximum at 350 nm. These intermediates are believed to be the C-protonated electron adducts of inosine (In(N,O-H).). In (N,O-H). and In(C-H). differ strongly in their ability to reduce p-nitroacetophenone (PNAP). In(N,O-H). are strong reductants and reduce PNAP quantitatively to PNAP.-. Based on the pH dependence of PNAP.- yields, two types of tautomers of In(C-H). could be distinguished. One of the tautomers can reduce PNAP, albeit with slower rate than In(N,O-H)., the other tautomer has no reducing properties. The latter is the one with the higher pKa and therefore thermodynamically more stable. The absorption spectrum of the intermediates produced in the reaction of e-aq with hypoxanthine at neutral pH is very similar to that of In(N,O-H). with a maximum at 300 nm. However, no build-up at 350 nm was observed in basic solution as in the case of the electron adduct of inosine. The reaction of H atoms with inosine produces in basic solution intermediate radicals with the same absorption spectrum as the C-protonated electron adducts of inosine. It is suggested that both the reactions of e-aq and H. with inosine in basic solution produce the same radical, namely the H-adduct of inosine (In(C-H)) with the highest pKa. alpha-Hydroxyalkyl radicals were found to react very slowly with purine bases and nucleosides in neutral to basic solutions. In acidic solution their reactivity increases and a number of rate constants were determined by pulse radiolysis measurements at pH 0.4. The intermediates from the reaction of 2-hydroxy-2-propyl radicals with inosine could be observed pulse spectrometrically in neutral and in basic solutions. In basic solution this reaction leads to intermediates with the same absorption maximum at 350 nm as that of the H-adduct of inosine. Furthermore, the yield of acetone was found to increase strongly in basic pH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Electron transfer from nucleobase electron adducts to 5-bromouracil. Is guanine an ultimate sink for the electron in irradiated DNA?

Electron transfer to 5-bromouracil (5-BrU) from nucleobase (N) electron adducts (and their protonated forms) has been studied by product analysis and pulse radiolysis. When an electron is transferred to 5-BrU, the ensuing 5-BrU radical anion rapidly loses a bromide ion; the uracilyl radical thus formed reacts with added t-butanol, yielding uracil. From the uracil yields measured as the function of [N]/[5-BrU] after gamma-radiolysis of Ar-saturated solutions it is concluded that thymine and adenine electron adducts and their heteroatomprotonated forms transfer electrons quantitatively to 5-BrU. Like the electron adduct of adenine, those of cytosine and guanine are rapidly protonated by water. The (protonated) electron adduct of guanine does not transfer an electron to 5-BrU, and in the case of the (protonated) cytosine electron adduct only partial electron transfer is observed. The results can be modelled if the protonated electron adduct (protonated at N(3) or at the amino group) of cytosine, CH., which can transfer its electron to 5-BrU (k approximately 2 x 10(7) dm3 mol-1 s-1) is transformed in a slow tautomerization reaction (k approximately 2.5 x +/- 10(3) s-1) into another form C'H. (possibly protonated at C(6) or C(5)) which does not transfer an electron to 5-BrU. There is also electron transfer from the electron adduct of thymine to cytosine and guanine which serve as electron sinks. The rate constant of electron transfer from the thymine electron adduct to cytosine is about 250 times greater than that of the reverse reaction. The heteroatom-protonated electron-adduct of thymidine transfers an electron to 5-BrU more slowly (k = 2.3 x 10(7) dm3 mol-1 s-1) than the electron-adduct itself (k = 7.2 x 10(8) dm3 mol-1 s-1). Phosphate buffer-induced protonation of the electron-adduct of thymine at carbon (C(6)) prevents electron transfer to 5-BrU. Such phosphate catalysis is also observed as an intramolecular process (k approximately 2 x 10(4) s-1) with thymidine-5'-phosphate but not with the 3'-phosphate. Phosphate-induced protonation at carbon also reduces transfer efficiency for the electron adducts of dinucleoside phosphates such as dTpdT and dTpdA. The data raise the question whether in DNA the guanine moiety may act as the ultimate sink of the electron in competition with other processes such as protonation at C(6) of the thymine electron adduct.

Enhancement of radiation-induced base release from nucleosides in alkaline solution: essential role of the O.- radical.

The effect of pH on base release in the gamma-radiolysis of N2O-saturated solutions of a number of nucleosides (including uridine, 3-methyluridine, 2',3'-O-isopropylidene-uridine, and adenosine) has been investigated. For all these nucleotides, independent of the base or sugar moiety, base release is very low at pH below 10 (G approximately (0.3-0.7) x 10(-7) mol J-1), but increases drastically to G approximately (3-4) x 10(-7) mol J-1 at pH greater than or equal to 13. This phenomenon had already been previously reported and attributed to an OH(-)-induced transfer of a base radical into a sugar radical. However, it is now shown that at pH 12, where base release starts to increase, a lowering of the dose-rate does not affect the yield of free base. The increase in base release is accompanied by an overall reduction of chromophore loss of similar magnitude (with 2',3'-O-isopropylidene-uridine and 3-methyluridine), as well as by an increase in the yield of oxidizing radicals by a factor of 2 (with uridine). The measured rate constant of the reaction of .OH/O.- with the nucleosides is also pH-dependent, as .OH reacts faster than O.- with the nucleosides by a factor of 6-7. It is concluded that the increase in base release at high pH is caused by the increasing participation of O.-, which, unlike .OH, attacks the nucleosides preferentially at their sugar moieties, and is not due to an OH(-)-induced radical transfer from the base to the sugar moiety.

Site of OH radical attack on dihydrouracil and some of its methyl derivatives.

The site of attack of OH radicals on dihydrouracil and five of its methylated derivatives was determined by pulse radiolysis using N,N,N',N'-tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD) to detect oxidizing radicals and tetranitromethane (TNM) as well as K3Fe(CN)6 to detect reducing radicals. In the case of dihydrouracil OH radicals abstract preferentially an H atom at C(6) to give the 6-yl radical (greater than or equal to 90 per cent) which at pH approximately 6.5 reduces TNM and K3Fe(CN)6 at almost diffusion-controlled rates. Only a small fraction of OH radicals abstract the H atom at C(5) (less than or equal to 10 per cent). The resulting 5-yl radical oxidizes TMPD to TMPD+ at pH 7-8. With the methylated derivatives of dihydrouracil, OH radicals react less selectively, especially in the case of N(1)-methyl derivatives. This methyl group is activated to a similar degree as the methylene group at C(6). In 1-Medihydrouracil the yield of N(1)-CH2 radicals is about 29 per cent, which has been deduced from the yield of formaldehyde formed after oxidation of this radical by TNM at pH approximately 6.5 and the subsequent hydrolysis. Radicals at the other methyl substituents are generated to a lesser extent (less than or equal to 10 per cent) and are relatively unreactive towards oxidizing agents such as TNM and K3Fe(CN)6 as well as towards the reducing agent TMPD. Although methyl substitution opens new routes for OH attack the preferred site of H abstraction remains C(6) (greater than 60 per cent).

Pulse radiolytic studies on uracil and uracil derivatives. Protonation of their electron adducts at oxygen and carbon.

The electron adducts of uracil, 1,3-dimethyluracil and 1,3-dimethylthymine, known to protonate rapidly in aqueous solution at oxygen, are now shown to undergo a slower protonation at C(6) producing a radical centred at C(5), a reaction which can be catalysed by buffer.

Oxygen uptake in the radiolysis of aqueous solutions of nucleic acids and their constituents.

The 60Co-gamma-irradiation of organic compounds in oxygenated aqueous solution leads to consumption of oxygen. G (O2 uptake) have been measured for 27 compounds in N2O/O2 (4:1)- saturated solutions using an oxygen sensitive electrode. G (O2 uptake) (in brackets, measured at 20 degrees C and a dose rate of 0.4 Gy s-1) for isopropanol (3.0), sodium formate (3.0), D-glucose (3.2), 2-deoxy-D-ribose (3.0), t-butanol (4.2) and diethyl ether (4.5) were found to be in agreement with th expectation based on product yields and/or known mechanisms. High O2 uptake was observed with polyethyleneoxide (10.2), which increases with decreasing dose rate and/or increasing temperature (G(O2 uptake) = 40 at 0.04 Gy s-1 and 50 degrees C). These results are explained by assuming a chain reaction. The nucleotides 5'-thymidylic acid (4.4), 5'-deoxy-cytidylic acid (4.8), 5'-deoxyadenylic acid (1.9) and 5'-deoxyguanylic acid (1.6) show that the pyrimidine derivatives consume considerably more oxygen than the purine derivatives. Analogous results are obtained with the nucleobases and nucleosides. The pyrimidine-purine difference is even more pronounced in the corresponding polymer, poly U (21) and poly A (3.5). The large value of poly U shows that a significant contribution of a chain reaction is present. G(O2 uptake) for DNA are dose-rate, temperature and concentration-dependent. The O2 uptake for single-stranded DNA (6.8) and double-stranded DNA (4.6) is higher than for an equivalent mixture of nucleotides (3.2). These results indicate that in DNA also a short chain reaction takes place.

gamma-Radiolysis of DNA in oxygenated aqueous solutions: alterations at the sugar moiety.

On gamma-irradiation of DNA in N2O/O2-saturated aqueous solutions alterations at the sugar moiety are observed. In the present study three new lesions were recognized: (i) 2-deoxytetrodialdose bound via a phosphoric acid ester linkage to a (broken) DNA strand, (ii) 2-deoxypentos-4-ulose bound to DNA via one (or two?) phosphoric acid ester linkage(s), and (iii) 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose bound to DNA via two phosphoric acid ester linkages. Lesion (i) is directly connected with a DNA strand break. Lesion (ii) might be related to a DNA strand break if bound via only one phosphoric acid ester linkage, or has to be considered as an alkali-labile site if bound via two phosphoric acid ester linkages. Lesion (iii) results from base damage, when the damaged base is hydrolysed from the sugar. This lesion is an alkali-labile site which turns into a strand break on alkali treatment. Attempts have been made to quantify these lesions. A lower limit of sugar damage (including lesions observed in preceding studies, but not lesion (iii) of G = 0.25 has been estimated.