Nucleic acids in deuterium oxide solution.

Observations on the infrared spectra of certain nucleosides led to the conclusion that the specific pairings of cytosineguanine and adenine-uracil generally postulated in nucleic acid structures involve proton transfer from uracil to guanine to adenine or cytosine, and that such pairings cause stong absorptions in the viciniiy of 1710 cm/sup -1/. Specific base-base interaction was much weaker in dry films than in wet films. Data are included on the infrared absorption spectra of desoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acids in deuterium oxide solutions at various temperatures. (C.H.)