Photoinduced formation of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions of adenine derivatives at 77 K

The amount of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions of adenine (A), adenosine (Ado), cytidine (Cyt), and thymine (T) containing 0.1 M NaCl and irradiated with near-UV light at 77 K is determined. It is established by comparing the results to data obtained earlier that the amount of H2O2 detected in the defrosted samples following identical irradiation falls in the order Ado > adenosine-5′-diphosphate (ADP) > A >> Cyt. The formation of H2O2 was not detected for T. The formation of H2O2 in solutions of adenine derivatives was observed when the samples were irradiated with light having wavelengths in the ranges λ = 240–400 nm and 290–450 nm. The latter covers only the long wave absorption range of these compounds. It is shown that the change in the intensity of irradiation that strongly affected the intensity оf EPR signals of irradiated samples prior to defrosting affected the amount of detected H2O2 only slightly, and the effect was not unidirectional. The results from determining H2O2 in the samples of adenine derivatives are compared to estimates of the content of free peroxyl radicals, obtained by analyzing EPR spectra. Plausible mechanisms of the processes are discussed.