Abstract
A RECENTLY initiated re-investigation1 of the free purine bases (other than methylxanthines of dietary origin or uric acid) normally occurring in human urine showed that in addition to xanthine, hypoxanthine, adenine and 7-methylguanine, isolated in older work2, guanine, 1-methylguanine, and a number of as yet unidentified substances of purine-like properties were present. The procedure used segregation of amphoteric components by absorption on ‘Dowex 50’ resin and elution with ammonia, precipitation of the purines with acid silver nitrate, two-dimensional paper chromatography of this concentrate, elution and ultra-violet spectrophotometry. Improved ultra-violet illumination has revealed the presence of an additional substance the ultra-violet spectrum of which strongly suggests a substituted guanine structure; this appears as a faint spot on the paper chromatograms between ‘spot U’1 and adenine.
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References
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WEISSMANN, B., BROMBERG, P. & GUTMAN, A. Identification of N2-Methylguanine (2-Methylamino-6-hydroxypurine) as a Normal Constituent of Human Urine. Nature 176, 1217–1218 (1955). https://doi.org/10.1038/1761217a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1761217a0
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