Evening star., 1949-09-19
Acc Makes Chemicals
Essential to Animal Life
Carbon Which Explodes for 5000 Years
Among so Synthetic Compounds
By Thomas K. Henry

BY Thomas X. Henry
OAK RIDGE, Tenn, Sept. 19.-The house
Of life is being rebuilt with exploding carbon.
More than so organic chemicals which
form essential parts of the bodies Of plants
and animals have been synthesiZed to date
at the isotopes laboratory here and at other
installations of the Atomic Energy Com
mission. In their new form some of the
ordinary carbon atoms have been replaced
by the magic C14 which continues to explode
Tor 5000 years and easily can be identified
wherever it is present.
The new chemicals range from proteins,
building stones Of blood and muscle, to vita
minis like NICOTINE acid and such basic
substances in the structure of life as urea
and formaldehyde. Some are extremely
complex and can be produced only in
minute quantities. From the Oak Ridge
laboratory, however, they are being supplied
the world. Some of the more difficult, how
ever. are made up only on specific request
and require months of work.
But, the isotope chemists here realize that
they have only crossed the Threshold Con-
tracts have been given university and indus
trial laboratories for the syntheSis of 40
other carbon compounds which appear
within present possibilities and are badly
needed in medical research. Even if all of
these are produced successfully, only a
scratch will have been made on the problem.
The human body alone contains literally
millions of distinct substances, some of
which, in barely detachable amounts, are
essential to life. Eventually the majority
OF these may be made up in exploding form.
Carbon IA. the isotope chemists say.
promises to be the single most valuable
product of the atomic energy program. Its
n nf ho
fact that it has such a long life as an ex-
ploding element and is held in the body
such long time it is useless, in any form
yet devised, as a medicine An amount
likely to do any good in treatment, for ex-
ample. of a deep-seated cancer, would be
likely to kill the patient.
But every cell in the human body contains
carbon. 1t is extracted from the food and
used in innumerable combinations to rebuild
tissue. When the exploding form is in
corporated in any food or drug, it becomes
possible to trace just what part this plays
in the body's chemistry.
Among the substances which may be
synthesized under the new program are
several of the amino acids, II of which are
essential in human food. and at least one
Of the sex hormones.
The majority of the bricks of the house
of life still are far beyond the ingenuity
of any chemist to synthesize. They can be
produced by nature, however, in the bodies
of plants and lower animals which have
been fed radio active carbon. Then they
can be extracted for experimental use.
Over so such compounds have been OBJ
tanned and can be supplied in limited
quantities. They include some OF the lower
alcohols, the acetic acid which results from
fermentation, opium, StarcheS, several of
the vitamins, marijuana, opium, morphine
and muscarine. These are expected to prove
of value in studies of the genesis Of drug
addiction. Contracts have been entered
into for production of Is other C14 COM
pounds by Incorporating the exploding
isotope in growing plants.
The new chemicals are being supplied to
research institutions in the United States
and in % foreign countries.
Two OF the latest accomplishments have
been the production of penicillin, with an
exploding sulphur atom. and of thyroxine,
the secretion of the thyroid gland, with
radioactive iodine.