Phosphorus, radioactive

Also present in the first test tube is a synthetic analog of ATP in which both the 2 and 3 hydroxyl groups have been replaced by hydrogens This compound is called 2 3 dideoxyadenosme triphosphate (ddATP) Similarly ddTTP is added to the second tube ddGTP to the third and ddCTP to the fourth Each tube also contains a primer The primer is a short section of the complementary DNA strand which has been labeled with a radioactive isotope of phosphorus ( P) When the electrophoresis gel is examined at the end of the experiment the positions of the DNAs formed by chain extension of the primer are located by a technique called autoradiography which detects the particles emitted by the P isotope... 

Phosphorus has only one stable isotope, J P, and accordingly (p. 17) its atomic weight is known with extreme accuracy, 30.973 762(4). Sixteen radioactive isotopes are known, of which P is by far the most important il is made on the multikilogram scale by the neutron irradiation of S(n,p) or P(n,y) in a nuclear reactor, and is a pure -emitter of half life 14.26 days, 1.7()9MeV, rntan 0.69MeV. It finds extensive use in tracer and mechanistic studies. The stable isotope has a nuclear spin quantum number of and this is much used in nmr spectroscopy. Chemical shifts and coupling constants can both be used diagnostically to determine structural information. 

The product, phosphorus-30, is radioactive, decaying by positron emission ... 

C15-0124. Phosphorus-32 is a radioactive isotope that decomposes in a unimolecular first-order process. The... 

Radioactivity was detected in the blood and urine of a single female dog, 1 hour after dermal application of a 2.094-g dose of TOCP labeled with radioactive phosphorus to a 300-cm2 area of clipped and depilated abdominal skin (Hodge and Sterner 1943). Gas chromatographic analysis of blood detected no parent material in male rats at 4, 24, or 48 hours after a 24-hour, occluded exposure to a hydraulic fluid containing 99.9% cyclotriphosphazene, but the presence of metabolites in the blood was not investigated (Kinkead and Bashe 1987). 

A study with a dog exposed to an occluded dermal dose of TOCP labeled with radioactive phosphorus provides limited evidence that organophosphate esters in hydraulic fluids may be widely distributed after dermal absorption (Hodge and Sterner 1943). Similar widespread distribution of radioactivity among tissues was observed in male cats after dermal exposure to [uniformly labeled 14C-phenyl]TOCP (Nomeir and Abou-Donia 1986). Tissues and fluids with the highest concentrations of radioactivity in these studies included the bile, gall bladder, urinary bladder, liver, kidney, and fat, thus suggesting that TOCP and metabolites are somewhat preferentially distributed to these tissues. 

Twenty-four hours after application of 2.094 g TOCP labeled with radioactive phosphorus to a 15x20 cm area of clipped and depilated abdominal skin, radioactivity was detected in the following tissues in a dog, listed in order of decreasing concentration (counts per gram of tissue) skin and facia at site of application, liver, omental fat, blood, kidney, lung, muscle (triceps femoris), spinal cord, heart, spleen = brain = sciatic nerve, and bone (femur) (Hodge and Sterner 1943). 

Hodge HC, Sterner JH. 1943. The skin absorption of triorthocresyl phosphate as shown by radioactive phosphorus. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 79 225-234. 

The contaminants that can be removed by flotation include conventional pollutants such as BOD, COD, total suspended solids (TSS), phosphorus, phenols, oil and grease, as well as toxic pollutants including heavy metals, toxic organics, pathogenic microorganisms, and radioactive radon 22.28,33,54,64,100-102... 

The chemistry of sulfur is a broad area that includes such chemicals as sulfuric acid (the compound prepared in the largest quantity) as well as unusual compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and halogens. Although there is an extensive chemistry of selenium and tellurium, much of it follows logically from the chemistry of sulfur if allowance is made for the more metallic character of the heavier elements. All isotopes of polonium are radioactive, and compounds of the element are not items of commerce or great use. Therefore, the chemistry of sulfur will be presented in more detail. 

Apatite exploration takes place in various regions of the World, and the most known are Kola Peninsula (Russia) and northwest Africa (Morocco). In both places, the apatite ores contain not only phosphorus as a main element but also many heavy metals, which are toxic for humans and animals. The given elements are F, As, Y, some rare earth species, Sr, Pb, Cd, Sn. The underground waters in these regions are enriched by F, Fi, Nb, some rare earth species with alkaline reaction that facilitates the migration of many ore elements. Some phosphorus containing ores are radioactive owing to the mixtures of uranium and thorium. 

This compound has been prepared by Schrader2 and by Pest Control, Ltd.3 Its translocation in the plant has been studied4 using the compound containing radioactive phosphorus.5 Compound (XX) is further discussed on p. 172. 

Reference has repeatedly been made to the powerful anticholinesterase activity of D.F.P. (p. 61). Towards pseudocholinesterase, for example, it is effective in concentration as low as 10 11M. In order to throw light on its mode of action with esterases,3 radioactive D.F.P. containing 32P was prepared.4 An account of its production on what may be conveniently called the one-gram scale , directly from phosphorus, is given below. 

Preparation of phosphorus trichloride. The following were placed in the flask F isopropyl alcohol (10 ml.), carbon tetrachloride (5 ml.) and glass wool. The taps between D and E and between G and H were opened, and G and D were cooled in liquid air. Radioactive phosphorus (1 g.) was placed in the vessel B, and non-radioaetive phosphorus trichloride (1 ml.) then added. B was then fixed in position and the bottom of the vessel heated so that the phosphorus tri-... 

The radioactive phosphorus used had an activity of 28,000 counts/min./mg. (counter efficiency, ca. 1 per cent, i.e. specific activity ca. 1 mc./g.), whilst the radioactive di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate had an activity of 2200 counts/min./mg. (corrected to zero time). 

The probable impurities in radioactive phosphorus trichloride are hydrogen chloride and phosphorous acid the trichloride is, therefore, purified by fractional evaporation and fractional condensation in the high-vacuum system. Pure ethylphosphonous dichloride is prepared according to the equation ... 

When compound (VII) was heated to 130° for 2-5 hr. it isomerized to OO -diethyl S-ethylmercaptoethyl phosphoro-thiolate (VIII). This was shown by successive partitioning of the heated product between suitable solvents, the partition ratios of the radioactive phosphorus being determined after each extraction. If only one compound is present all the ratios would be the same if two or more compounds are present, the observed over-all partition ratios would change in systematic fashion. 

Results with a sample of radioactive D.F.P. The radioactive D.F.P. used had been prepared from 1 g. of radioactive phosphorus and once distilled (p. 75). 

Radioactive isotopes provide a very convenient way of monitoring the fate or metabolism of compounds that contain the isotopes. When used in this way, the isotope is described as a tracer and compounds into which the radioactive atom has been introduced are said to be labelled or tagged. The labelled molecules need only comprise a very small proportion of the total amount of the unlabelled radioactive substance because they act in the same way as the non-radioactive substance but can be detected very much more easily. The varied applications of tracers in biochemistry range from studies of metabolism in whole animals or isolated organs to sensitive quantitative analytical techniques, such as radioimmunoassay. Phosphorus-32 is used in work with nucleic acids, particularly in DNA sequencing and hybridization techniques. In these instances the isotope is used as a means of visualizing DNA separations by autoradiographic techniques. 

Crystallisation was one of the earliest methods used for separation of radioactive microcomponents from a mass of inert material. Uranium X, a thorium isotope, is readily concentrated in good yield in the mother liquors of crystallisation of uranyl nitrate (11), (33), (108). A similar method has been used to separate sulphur-35 [produced by the (n, p) reaction on chlorine-35] from pile irradiated sodium ot potassium chloride (54), (133). Advantage is taken of the low solubility of the target materials in concentrated ice-cold hydrochloric acid, when the sulphur-35 as sulphate remains in the mother-liquors. Subsequent purification of the sulphur-35 from small amounts of phosphorus-32 produced by the (n, a) reaction on the chlorine is, of course, required. Other examples are the precipitation of barium chloride containing barium-1 from concentrated hydrochloric acid solution, leaving the daughter product, carrier-free caesium-131, in solution (21) and a similar separation of calcium-45 from added barium carrier has been used (60). 

Selected entries from Methods in Enzymology [vol, page(s)] Types of organophosphorus inhibitors, 11,686-688 toxicity hazards, 11,688 purity and analysis, 11,688 solutions of organophosphorus compounds, 11,689 estimation of specific radioactivity of organophosphorus compounds, 11,689-690 method for estimating phosphorus content, 11,691 reactions with enzymes, 11,691 -701 [rate constants, 11,692 phosphorylation of chymotrypsin, 11, 694-696 identification of phosphoryl and phosphonyl peptides,... 

The examples for radioactive labeling by phosphorus-32 ( P) and iodine-125 ( 1) in this chapter were chosen for two reasons on one hand, they are relatively easy to do, and on the other hand, the measurement of radioactivity is simple. is counted in water in a liquid scintillation counter by measuring the Cerenkov radiation and is measured in a gamma counter. Both isotopes may be detected also by autoradiography. A further advantage of both isotopes is their short half-life, which eases the disposal of nuclear waste. 

For determination of total P-phosphorus incorporation, filter the precipitate over a glass fiber filter and count for radioactivity. If electrophoresis is intended, collect the precipitate by centrifugation with 5000 X g and dissolve the pellet in the appropriate sample buffer. Choose the electrophoresis system with respect to the different pH stability of phosphorylation products. 

The probe species is often radioactively labeled, or it may carry a fluorescent tag, or some other chemical or enzymatic moiety to generate a positional signal. For radioactive labeling, a common choice of radioisotope is phosphorus-32 (or 32P), because it can be incorporated as phosphate into DNA or RNA relatively easily, and it emits energetic beta particles that are easy to detect. The radioactivity on the membrane can be used to expose an adjacent x-ray film in a pattern corresponding to the radioactive spots on the membrane. After a suitable exposure time, one develops the film and studies the location and intensity of the images of the radioactive spots to deduce the position and degree of probe hybridization on the membrane. 

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