E.S.R. Studies of γ-Ray Irradiated Single Crystals of D-Tartaric Acid

Electron spin resonance (e.s.r.) studies on single crystals of normal and deuterated D-tartaric acid have been carried out as part of a larger investigation of radical production and migration in biologically related single crystals. The D-tartaric acid system is especially interesting since the second and third carbon atoms of the molecule, which are chemically identical in solution, become conformationally non-equivalent in the unit cell. The effects of this conformational difference on the e.s.r. spectra are discussed. The radicals identified in this study are consistent with the work of others on similar systems.