Abstract
When solutions of nucleoside 5′-phosphates and trimetaphosphate are dried out at room temperature, nucleoside 5′-polyphosphates are formed. The Mg++ ion shows a superior catalytic function in this reaction when compared with other divalent metal ions. Starting with nucleoside 5′-phosphates, Mg++ and trimetaphosphate, the predominant products in the nucleoside 5′-polyphosphate series pnN are p4N, p7N and P10N. Nucleoside 5′-diphosphates yield p5N and p8N, nucleoside 5′-triphosphates give p6N and p9N. The prebiological relevance of these reactions is discussed.