Phosphate Production and Analysis in the Non-Enzymatic Activation of Amino Acids by ATP when Using Hydroxylamine as a Trapping Agent

Saygin and Decker [6, 7] have reported that the formation of hydroxamic acids in solutions containing ATP, MgCl2, hydroxylamine and an acidic acceptor (acetic acid or amino acids) is not accompanied by the release of inorganic phosphate from ATP. Using an ion exchange chromatography method developed by Lowenstein [8] to separate the various components of such reaction mixtures, we now show that inorganic phosphate, as well as some pyrophosphate, is produced during incubation at 50 °C. Evidence is also presented to indicate that the failure of Saygin and Decker [6, 7] to detect phosphate is due to a total inhibition of their phosphate assay system by ATP.