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Separation of Deoxypentose and Pentose Nucleic Acids

Abstract

CRUDE preparations of deoxypentose nucleic acids are almost invariably contaminated with pentose nucleic acids. This admixture renders many studies of the chemical and biological specificity of nucleic acids difficult. A preliminary separation must be carried out before the exact determination of the constituent purines and pyrimidines becomes possible1. Only in a few cases (sperm, thymus and, possibly, spleen) will suitable washing of the biological material, prior to its extraction, sufficiently depress the extent of contamination of the nucleic acid specimens2–4.

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ZAMENHOF, S., CHARGAFF, E. Separation of Deoxypentose and Pentose Nucleic Acids. Nature 168, 604–605 (1951). https://doi.org/10.1038/168604a0

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