Uracil in formic acid hydrolysates of deoxyribonucleic acid

1. When DNA is hydrolysed with formic acid for 30min. at 175 degrees and the hydrolysate is chromatographed on paper with propan-2-ol-2n-hydrochloric acid, in addition to expected ultraviolet-absorbing spots corresponding to guanine, adenine, cytosine and thymine, an ultraviolet-absorbing region with R(F) similar to that of uracil can be detected. Uracil was separated from this region and identified by its spectra in acid and alkali, and by its R(F) in several solvent systems. 2. Cytosine, deoxyribocytidine and deoxyribocytidylic acid similarly treated with formic acid all yielded uracil, as did a mixture of deoxyribonucleotides. 3. Approx. 4% of deoxyribonucleotide cytosine was converted into uracil by the formic acid treatment.