Interactions of nucleic acid bases with catechol: UV studies.

UV absorption studies on weak interactions of adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil with cathechol in aqueous solutions containing 0.1 N HCl gave evidence for the formation of charge transfer complexes. The absorptions of these complexes were found in the UV region at longer wavelengths than those of the pure components. It was possible to calculate various thermodynamic parameters and molar extinction coefficients at different wavelengths. The biological significance of the results is discussed.