The Radiation Decomposition of Adenine

Abstract
The radiolysis of 0.1% solutions of adenine in water leads to the formation of 2 major products 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine and 8-hydroxyadenine. These 2 compounds account for about 60% of the decomposed adenine. Minor products are hypoxanthine and 4-amino-5-formamido-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine. It is probable that all these reactions may occur in intact nucleic acids, and that they may therefore be of importance in radiobiology.