Brocklehurst B, McLauchlan K A
Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, UK.
Int J Radiat Biol. 1996 Jan;69(1):3-24. doi: 10.1080/095530096146147.
The radical pair mechanism is discussed as a possible route whereby a magnetic field of environmental strength might affect a biological system. It is well established as the origin of reproducible field effects in chemistry, and these can be observed even at very low magnetic field strengths, including that of the geomagnetic field. Here it is attempted to give a description which might assist experimentalists working in biological laboratories to devize tests of its relevance to their work. The mechanism is well understood and a specific theoretical approach is taken to explore and emphasize the importance of the lifetime of the radical pair and the precise chemical natures of the radicals which comprise it in affecting the size of the low-field effects. Further subsequent processes are likely necessary to cause this primary effect to attain biological significance. Arguments are provided to suggest that the encounters of freely diffusing pairs (F-pairs) of radicals are unlikely to produce significant effects in biology.
自由基对机制被作为一种可能的途径进行讨论，即环境强度的磁场可能会影响生物系统。它作为化学中可重复的场效应的起源已得到充分证实，甚至在非常低的磁场强度下，包括地磁场强度下，这些效应都能被观察到。在此试图给出一种描述，这可能有助于生物实验室的实验人员设计与他们工作相关的测试。该机制已被充分理解，并采用了一种特定的理论方法来探索和强调自由基对寿命以及构成它的自由基的确切化学性质在影响低场效应大小方面的重要性。进一步的后续过程可能是使这种初级效应具有生物学意义所必需的。文中提出了一些观点，表明自由基的自由扩散对（F-对）的相遇在生物学中不太可能产生显著影响。
