Comparative Study of Reaction of Atomic Tritium with Glucosamine and Amino Acids

Abstract

Reaction of amino acids (glycine and serine) and amino sugar (glucosamine) with atomic tritium generated by thermal dissociation of molecular tritium on a tungsten filament was studied. A frozen aqueous solutions and a freeze-dried mixture of these compounds was bombarded with tritium atoms is a special vacuum unit. The relative yield of the labeled compounds was determined as influenced by the reaction conditions (residual pressure in the system and bombardment time) and target type (frozen solution and freeze-dried mixture). Formation of labeled products is almost independent of the tritium pressure. The ratio of the formation rates of labeled serine and glycine in the frozen solution and freeze-dried mixture bombarded with atomic tritium for 45–270 s was 1.66±0.15 and 1.44±0.13, respectively. At shorter reaction time (15 s), the ratio increases to 3.5±0.2 and 2.0±0.4, respectively. The formation rate of [3H]glucosamine in the mixture is higher at a shorter bombardment time. The radioactivity ratio of labeled glucosamine and glycine formed in frozen solutions and freeze-dried mixture in 15 s was 26.0±2.3 and 6.8±0.6, respectively. At longer reaction time, the relative yield of [3H]glucosamine sharply decreases owing to stronger radiolysis of labeled glucosamine on exposure to tritium beam.