Separation of deoxyribonucleic acid from ribonucleic acid without the use of enzymes

Abstract

When mammalian tissues were broken down in 0.15 M phenolphthalein diphosphate a viscous homogenate resulted, the viscosity of which dropped on addition of phenol. Centrifugation yielded deoxyribonucleic acid as an insoluble component, which was therefore separated from ribonucleic acid without isolation of nuclei or the use of enzymes. Deoxyribonucleic acid has been recovered in good yield from liver, spleen and tumour tissues, but the yield of ribonucleic acid has, however, been low.