Evening star., 1948-08-16
Heavy Water Tracers'
Deuterium First Produced at the Bureau of Standards
Is Proving Valuable to Biologists
By Thomas r. Henry

At the Harvard Medical School deuterium
is being used in fundamental studies of the
metabolism of the heart. Carbohydrates
starches and sugars-are stored in the body
in the form Of the so-called body starch" or
glycogen. This is the fuel" of the heart
engine. The organ also requires certain fatty
acids, constantly being synthesized in the body.
How fast are these formed and stored?
Study Of Fatty Acids.
In the Harvard study the body water of
experimental animals is first enriched with
heavy water and samples of heart muscles
analyzed after each enrichment. From the
rate of incorporation of deuterium into these
substances it is possible to calculate the rate
Of their synthesis in the body.
At the Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
nology heavy water is being used to tag"
fatty acids contained In the diet and find
out in what part of the body they are de-
posted. The ultimate objective is to find.
out how fiat" Is made
human being requires in the diet a GER
tain amount of ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C.
Otherwise scurvy will develop. The same is
true of guinea pigs and monkeys. Rats, pigs
and cows, however. get along very we'll with
out any Vitamn in their food although it
plays an equally important part as in man
IN the vital processes of such animals. In
some unknown way, they synthesize 1t them
selves. How this process takes place is being
studied at the University of Minnesota by
labelling the various chemical constituents of
the vitamn with heavy water and tracing
what takes place
Also at the University of Minnesota one of
the few experiments involving heavy oxygen,
also stable. Is in progress. Inspired ais finally
Is breathed out in the form of carbon dioxide.
Where does the oxygen pick up the carbonp
Is the oxygen reSpired the same as that
breathed in, Or is there a considerable delay
phenomenon in which it Is stored in body
tissues?
Ihe human body is mostly water, but both
liquid and solid content vary with various
dlseases-and especially with starvation when
the total amount of proteins, building blocks
OF tissues, are depleted. In various disease
states also there is inability to synthesize
these protelns, bringing about state of
pseudo-starvation. If the relative amounts OF
water and solids could be accurately determined
powerful means of diagnosis would be placed
IN the hands of medicine This is the field
OF far-reaching study with heavy water
now being carried on at the New York Uni
versity College of Medicine
some OF the most fundamental studies in
which heavy hydrogen is used are in the field
OF organic chemistry. In a molecule an atom
OF deuterium can be substituted In any posi-
ton normally occupied by an atom of ordinary
hydrogen. This method is being used at the
Louisiana State University to acquire better
knowledge of the still little understood forces
that hold the atoms of a complex molecule-
like any of the hydrocarbons making up
gasoline or fuel oil together. From this the
chemists expect, 1t will become easier to pre-
dict the behavior of these molecules In all
sorts Of combinations.
,h, ins eighth article Of this series will appear In