Asymmetric degradation of DL-leucine with longitudinally polarised electrons (original) (raw)

Nature volume 258, pages 419–421 (1975) Cite this article

Abstract

FOLLOWING Wu's experimental demonstration1 of Lee and Yang's predicted violation of the parity principle during β decay2 and following Goldhaber's demonstration3 of the circular polarisation of the bremsstrahlung produced by _β_-decay electrons, Vester and coworkers (ref. 4 and F. Vester, unpublished) proposed the following unique mechanism for the abiotic origin of optically active organic molecules Attempts to demonstrate this mechanism experimentally4,5 were unsuccessful, however, until Garay's report in 1968 that D-tyrosine in dilute aqueous alkali was more decomposed (as evidenced by greater eradication of its ultraviolet absorption bands) than was L-tyrosine after 18 months exposure to 0.36 mCi of 90SrCl2 in solution6. One of us has attempted7 to repeat Garay's experiment using DL-tyrosine in alkaline solution, looking for optical rotation after exposing the sample to a dose of 4.1 × 108 rad of _β_-ray bremsstrahlung in a 61,7000-Ci 90Sr–90Y source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for 1.34 yr. No optical activity was noted, using optical rotary dispersion (ORD) measurements in the region 250–630 nm. At the same time7 Garay's experiments were extended to include other racemic amino acids, both in the solid state and in neutral, acidic or alkaline solution. In no case, after the same 1.34-yr exposure, did we notice the development of optical activity either by ORD measurements or (in the case of DL-leucine) by the gas-chromatographic determination of the enantiomeric composition of the irradiated samples. Our explanation7 for these negative results has been that most of the bremsstrahlung causing radiolysis of the samples was of low energy8 and therefore of very slight circular polarisation3,9. In the hope of overcoming this difficulty, we have now undertaken similar experiments using longitudinally polarised electrons (and their bremsstrahlung) from a linear accelerator.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 51 print issues and online access

$199.00 per year

only $3.90 per issue

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Additional access options:

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wu, C. S., Ambler, E., Hayward, R. W., Hoppes, D. D., and Hudson, R. P., Phys. Rev., 105, 1413 (1957).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  2. Lee, T. D., and Yang, C. W., Phys. Rev., 104, 254–258 (1956).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  3. Goldhaber, M., and Sunyar, A. W., Phys. Rev., 106, 826–828 (1957).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  4. Vester, F., Ulbricht, T. L. V., and Krauch, H., Natunvissenschaft, 46, 68 (1959).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  5. Ulbricht, T. L. V., and Vester, F., Tetrahedron, 18, 629–637 (1962).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  6. Garay, A. S., Nature, 219, 338–340 (1968).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  7. Bonner, W. A., J. molec. Evol., 4, 23–39 (1974).
    Article ADS CAS Google Scholar
  8. Wyard, S. J., Nucleonics, 13, 44–45 (1955).
    CAS Google Scholar
  9. Schopper, H., Galster, S., Nucl. Phys., 6, 125–131 (1958).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  10. Zeman, H. D., thesis, Stanford Univ. (1969).
  11. Bonner, W. A., J. chromatogr. Sci., 11, 101–104 (1973).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  12. Bonner, W. A., Van Dort, M. A., and Flores, J. J., Analyt. Chem., 46, 2104–2107 (1974).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  13. Ulbricht, T. L. V., Q. Rev. Chem. Soc., 13, 48–60 (1959).
    Article CAS Google Scholar
  14. Gol'danskii, V. I., and Khrapov, V. V., Soviet Phys. JETP, 16, 582–585 (1963).
    ADS Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry,
    WILLIAM A. BONNER & MARK A. VAN DORT
  2. Department of Physics and High Energy Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305
    MASON R. YEARIAN

Authors

  1. WILLIAM A. BONNER
  2. MARK A. VAN DORT
  3. MASON R. YEARIAN

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

BONNER, W., DORT, M. & YEARIAN, M. Asymmetric degradation of DL-leucine with longitudinally polarised electrons.Nature 258, 419–421 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/258419a0

Download citation

This article is cited by