Kinetics for free radical production and decay in γ-irradiated single crystals of L-alanine have been studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. By selectively deuterating only the radicals in irradiated crystals of deuterated alanine, it has been established experimentally that radical saturation in γ-irradiated single crystals of alanine is due to a process of radical destruction by the radiation. At saturation, radical production is not zero, but rather radicals are being produced and destroyed at the same rate. The biological implications are that the phenomenon of low-level radical saturation cannot be used as an argument against the possible role of free radicals in biological radiation-damaging processes.
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Snipes et al. (1967) studied this question.
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