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Guanine



Guanine
IUPAC name 2-amino-1H-purin-6(9H)-one
Other names 2-amino-6-oxo-purine,
2-aminohypoxanthine,
Guanine
Identifiers
CAS number 73-40-5
RTECS number MF8260000
SMILES NC1=Nc2[nH]cnc2C(=O)N1
Properties
Molecular formula C5H5N5O
Molar mass 151.1261 g/mol
Appearance White amorphous solid.
Density , solid.
Melting point

360°C (633.15 K) deco.

Boiling point

Sublimes.

Solubility in water Insoluble.
Dipole moment  ? D
Hazards
Main hazards Irritant.
NFPA 704
1
1
0
 
Flash point Non-flammable.
Related Compounds
Related compounds Cytosine; Adenine; Thymine; Uracil
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox disclaimer and references

Guanine is one of the five main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA; the others being adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil. With the formula C5H5N5O, guanine is a derivative of purine, consisting of a fused pyrimidine-imidazole ring system with conjugated double bonds. Being unsaturated, the bicyclic molecule is planar. The guanine nucleoside is called guanosine.

Contents

Basic principles

Guanine, along with adenine and cytosine, is present in both DNA and RNA, whereas thymine is usually seen only in DNA and uracil only in RNA. Guanine has two tautomeric forms, the keto form and enol form. It binds to cytosine through three hydrogen bonds. In cytosine, the amino group acts as the hydrogen donor and the C-2 carbonyl and the N-3 amine as the hydrogen-bond acceptors. Guanine has a group at C-6 that acts as the hydrogen acceptor, while the group at N-1 and the amino group at C-2 acts as the hydrogen donors.

The first isolation of guanine was reported in 1844 from the excreta of sea birds,[1]


5NH3 + CH4 + 2C2H6 + H2O → C5H8N5O (guanine) + (25/2)H2

A Fischer-Tropsch synthesis can also be used to form guanine, along with adenine, uracil and thymine. Heating an equimolar gas mixture of CO, H2, and NH3 to 700 °C for 0.24 to 0.4 hours, followed by quick cooling and then sustainted reheating to 100-200°C for 16-44 hours with an alumina catalyst yielded guanine and uracil:

5CO + (1/2)H2 + 5NH3 → C5H8N5O (guanine) + 4H2O

Traube's synthesis involves heating 2,4,5-triamino-1,6-dihydro-6-oxypyrimidine (as the sulphate) with formic acid for several hours.


Other uses

In 1656 in Paris, François Jaquin (a rosary maker) extracted from scales of some fishes the so called pearl essence, crystalline guanine forming G-quadruplexes: in cosmetic industry, crystalline guanine is used as an additive to various products (e.g., shampoos), where it provides the pearly iridescent effect. It is also used in metallic paints and simulated pearls and plastics. It provides shimmering lustre to eye shadow and nail polish. Guanine crystals are rhombic platelets composed of multiple, transparent layers but they have a high index of refraction that partially reflects and transmits light from layer to layer thus producing a pearly luster. It can be applied by spray, painting or dipping. It may irritate eyes. Its alternatives are mica, synthetic pearl, and aluminium and bronze particles.

See also

References

  1. ^ {{cite journal | last = Hitchings | first = George H. | coauthors = Elvira A. Falco | title = The Identification of Guanine.About fifty years later, Fischer determined the structure and also showed that uric acid can be converted to guanine. Guanine can be hydrolyzed with strong acid to glycine, ammonia, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Guanine oxidizes more readily than adenine, the other purine-derivative base in DNA. Its high melting point of 350°C reflects the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the oxo and amino groups in the molecules in the crystal. Because of this intermolecular bonding, guanine is relatively insoluble in water, although it is soluble in dilute acids and bases.

    Syntheses

    Trace amounts of guanine form by the polymerization of ammonium cyanide (NH4CN). Two experiments conducted by Levy et al., showed that heating 10 M NH4CN at 80°C for 24 hours gave a yield of 0.0007% while using 0.1 M NH4CN frozen at -20°C for 25 years gave a 0.0035% yield. These results indicate guanine could arise in frozen regions of the primitive earth. In 1984, Yuasa reported a 0.00017% yield of guanine after the electrical discharge of NH3, CH4, C2H6, and 50 mL of water, followed by a subsequent acid hydrolysis. However, it is unknown if the presence of guanine was not simply resulted from a contaminant of the reaction.{{cite journal | last = Levy | first = Matthew | coauthors = Stanley L. Miller, John Oró| title = Production of Guanine from NH4CN Polymerizations | journal = Journal of Molecular Evolution | volume = 49 | issue = 2 | pages = 165-168 | publisher = | date = August 1999 | url = | doi = 10.1007/PL00006539 | id = | accessdate = 2007-10-18 }} - quotes the Yuasa paper and cites the possibility of there being a contaminant in the reaction.
  • Miyakawa, S., Murasawa, K., Kobayashi, K., Sawaoka, AB. "Abiotic synthesis of guanine with high-temperature plasma." Orig Life Evol Biosph. 30(6): 557-66, Dec. 2000.
  • Horton, H.R., Moran, L.A., Ochs, R.S., Rawn, J.D., Scrimgeour, K.G. "Principles of Biochemistry." Prentice Hall (New Jersey). 3rd Edition, 2002.
  • Lister, J.H. "Part II Purines." The Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds. Wiley-Interscience (New York). 1971.


Nucleobases: Purine (Adenine, Guanine) | Pyrimidine (Uracil, Thymine, Cytosine)
Nucleosides: Adenosine/Deoxyadenosine | Guanosine/Deoxyguanosine | Uridine | Thymidine | Cytidine/Deoxycytidine
Nucleotides: monophosphates (AMP, GMP, UMP, CMP) | diphosphates (ADP, GDP, UDP, CDP) | triphosphates (ATP, GTP, UTP, CTP) | cyclic (cAMP, cGMP, cADPR)
Deoxynucleotides: monophosphates (dAMP, dGMP, TMP, dCMP) | diphosphates (dADP, dGDP, TDP, dCDP) | triphosphates (dATP, dGTP, TTP, dCTP)
Ribonucleic acids: RNA | mRNA (pre-mRNA/hnRNA) | tRNA | rRNA | gRNA | miRNA | ncRNA | piRNA | shRNA | siRNA | snRNA | snoRNA
Deoxyribonucleic acids: DNA | cDNA | gDNA | msDNA | mtDNA
Nucleic acid analogues: GNA | LNA | PNA | TNA | morpholino
Cloning vectors: phagemid | plasmid | lambda phage | cosmid | P1 phage | fosmid | BAC | YAC | HAC
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Guanine". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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