PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF THYMINE, URACIL, URIDINE, CYTOSINE AND BROMOURACIL IN FROZEN SOLUTION AND IN DRIED FILMS*

Abstract

Abstract— The photochemistry of uracil, uridine, cytosine, thymine and broinouracil has been investigated in frozen aqueous solution and in dried films. Essentially the same photoproducts were obtained in the two conditions; however, the yield of photoproducts was considerably greater in frozen solution. Uracil forms a dimer which can exist in two forms. Some kinetic data are presented for the interconversion of these two forms, The mixed dimer of thymine and uracil can also exist in two forms. Uridine forms only one acid stable photoproduct and does not appear to form mixed photoproducts under the conditions used. Two new photoproducts of thymine other than the dimer are described. Cytosine was at first considered to be completely inert hut using more sensitive detecting equipment it has recently been found to form uracil dinier as a result of dinierization and deamination. The most remarkable response was shown by bromouracil. When irradiated by itself it formed no photoproducts but when irradiated in the presence of uracil, uridine, cytosine or NaOH it formed many photoproducts. Most of these products were devoid of bromide, but two still contained bromine. One of these has been identified as the mixed dimer of uracil and bromouracil while the other has been tentatively identified as the dimer of bromouracil. Dimers of thymine or bromouracil were not formed by X‐rays.