Role of the local environment on the radiation chemistry of biological molecules: proline in single crystals. Progress report, July 15, 1983-July 14, 1984

The objectives of this project are to fully explore the evidence for local environmental influence on the chemical transformations of radiation-initiated radical products in proline and related compounds. In the preliminary studies, described in the original proposal, it was found that products descended from the primary electron-adducts were present in all members of the group to be studied. However, at room temperature, little evidence was found for products which could have descended from the primary electron-abstraction ones. Accordingly, as described below, the major effort at this stage of the project has been to examine products stabilized at liquid helium temperatures (4.2K), in order to identify the electron-abstraction products prior to their major transformations