CORRELATIONS BETWEEN CHEMICAL-REACTIVITY AND MUTAGENIC ACTIVITY AGAINST SALMONELLA-TYPHIMURIUM TA100 FOR ALPHA-DICARBONYL COMPOUNDS AS A PROOF OF THE MUTAGENIC MECHANISM

The mutagenic activities in the Ames test against S. typhimurium TA100 for a series of cr-dicarbonyl compounds are examined together with th e formation constants of the adducts formed between such compounds and guanine and guanosine. Correlations between the equilibrium constants , the apparent reaction enthalpies, and the mutagenic activity are pre sented. These correlations imply that the mutagenic activity is relate d to the chemical reactivity of the dicarbonyl compounds with the puri c bases.