Determination of base ratios in small samples of ribonucleic acid by neutron activation paper chromatographic analysis

Abstract Base ratios of very small samples of RNA can be determined by a method involving alkaline hydrolysis of the RNA to monophosphonucleosides and electrophoretic separation of the components on paper at pH 3.5. The mononucleotide phosphorus is determined by neutron activation in a nuclear reactor with subsequent beta counting of the 32 P activity induced. This procedure has been applied to samples containing only about one tenth of the amount of RNA required for an optical determination of base ratios.