Reactions of nucleic acids and their components. Part VI. The reactions of formaldehyde with cytosine, cytidine, and deoxycytidine
Abstract
The reactions of formaldehyde with cytosine, cytidine, and deoxycytidine have been investigated, by spectrophotometry and the pH depression method, over the temperature range 20–50°. It was established that both the neutral and cationic forms of each compound react and that each reaction involves only one molecule of formaldehyde per molecule of the nucleic acid component. The free energies, heats of reaction, and entropy values have been evaluated.