The Study of the γ-Radiolysis of Amino Acids and Dipeptides by Ultra-Violet Reflectance Spectrophotometry

The γ-radiolysis of amino acids and dipeptides gives rise to species which absorb in the ultraviolet in the region of 250-400 nm and can be observed by reflectance spectrophotometry. These species cannot be associated with chemical products of radiolysis. Studies on the intensity of the reflectance as a function of absorbed dose gives identical curves as for the ESR yields of these substances as a function of absorbed dose. These absorbing species are identified as the free radicals of the amino acids and dipeptides.