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Failure of Phosphorus-32 to Exchange with Organic Phosphorus Compounds

Abstract

WHEN radioactive phosphate is used in biological experiments, the interpretation of the results depends upon the assumption that the labelled inorganic phosphate does not exchange with the phosphate of organic esters except via metabolic reactions. Evidence to support this assumption is limited. Hevesy and Aten1 were satisfied that phosphorus-32 did not exchange with the Embden ester (hexose-6-phosphate), and apparently inorganic phosphate does not exchange with glycerophosphoric acid2. Studies on human erythrocytes in this laboratory3 have made it desirable to determine whether phosphorus-32 is able to enter certain other acid-soluble phosphate esters by simple exchange.

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References

  1. Hevesy, G., and Aten, A. H. W., jun., Kgl. Danske Videnskab. Selskab Biol. Medd., 14, 5 (1939).

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GOURLEY, D. Failure of Phosphorus-32 to Exchange with Organic Phosphorus Compounds. Nature 169, 192–193 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/169192a0

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