The Ultrasonic Degradation of Thymine

Abstract

Sonolysis at 450 kHz degrades an aqueous solution of thymine into at least six products of which four, 5-hydroxymethyluracil, cis- and trans-5,6-dihydroxy-5,6-dihydrothymine, and urea have been identified and a fifth tentatively assigned as N-formyl-N′-pyruvylurea. A mechanism of sonolytic degradation is proposed.