4403 0 . 5 -0 0.5 1.0 conc.5'-AmP (M 1-Figure 1. Viscosity of aqueous 5'-AMP solutions as a function of concentration (J": 7.0 & 0.4). 0.1 u 0.2 0.5 1.0 2.0 Yp(CP-1)-Figure 2. Double log plot of the average longitudinal I3C relaxation rates of S'-AMP'J vs. the reciprocal viscosity of the solutions: points, average of C-I' to C-4'; crosses, average of C-2, C-8. nucleotide one calculates the rotational correlation time rc in the extreme narrowing case from3 1/Tl = Nh2yC2yH2rCH-6rc(1) with N the number of protons bound to the carbon and yc and YH the magnetogyric ratios of the two nuclear spins involved. Taking the isotropic rotating sphere as a valid approximation for the motion of 5'-AMP in water, rc is described byInserting 0.105 f 0.005 nm for r C H one obtains at all concentrations a value of a, commonly taken as the diameter of the diffusing particle, of 0.45 f 0.05 nm, which certainly is less than the actual dimensions of the single nucleotide. The relaxation times of the base carbons at the different concentrations are therefore determined by the macroscopic viscosity, and it is unnecessary to invoke any specific microscopic model to explain the experimental results. On the other hand, the relaxation rates of the sugar carbon, which possess several possibilities of internal motion, depend on two correlation times: the correlation time for overall molecular reorientation which increases with increasing viscosity and a correlation time for the internal motions which to a first approximation should not depend on the vis~osity.~J It is then clear that the effect of the internal motions can only be observed in the more concentrated solutions, that is when the overall reorientation is slowed down.Rhodes and SchimrneF measured the energy of activa-tion for the rotation around the glycosidic bond (syn e anti equilibrium) in some purine (@)ribosides to be 6.2 kcal mol-'. Therefore the segmental motion may not come from rotation around the glycosidic bond. Roder et aL7 have determined the activation energy for the conformational mobility of the furanoside ring of the ribose moiety, as for example described by the N * S model of Altona and Sundaralingams by variable temperature I3C relaxation measurements and comparison with the 2',3'-isopropylidene nucleosides to be 4.7 f 0.5 kcal mol-I. Assuming that these results are applicable to 5'-AMP one must conclude that the deviations observed in the more concentrated solutions for the relaxation rates of the sugar carbons from those of the base should not be explained by a greater diffusive mobility of the ribosephosphate moiety around the glycosidic bond but rather by transitions between the different possible conformations of the ribose ring.
References and Notes(1) W. D. Hamlll, Jr., R. J. Pugmlre, and D. M. Grant, J. Am. Chem. SOC., 96, (2) A. Allerhand. D. Doddreil, and R. Komoroskl, J. Chem. Phys., 55, 189 (3) A. Abraaam, "The Principles of Nuclear Magnetism", Oxford University 2885 (1974). (1 97 1). Press, London, 1961, p 300. 5456 (1974). (4) D. Doddrell and A. Aller...