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An electron spin resonance study of gamma-ray irradiated ginseng.

Nakamura H, Ukai M, Shimoyama Y

Department of Chemistry, Hokkaido University of Education, CREST-JST, Hakodate 040-8567, Japan.

Using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, we revealed the presence of four radical species in gamma-ray irradiated ginseng (Agaliaceae). Before irradiation, the representative ESR spectrum of ginseng is composed of a sextet centered at g=2.0, a sharp singlet at the same g-value, and a singlet at about g=4.0. The first one is attributable to a hyperfine (hf) signal of Mn(2+) ion (hf constant: 7.4mT). The second one is due to an organic free radical. The third one is originated from Fe(3+). Upon gamma-ray irradiation, a new ESR (the fourth) signal was detectable in the vicinity of g=2.0 region. The progressive saturation behaviors of the ESR signals at various microwave power levels were indicative of different relaxation time for those radicals. The anisotropic ESR spectra were detected by the angular rotation of the sample tube. This is due to the existence of anisotropic microcrystalline in the ginseng powder sample.

Published 17 March 2006 in Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 63(4): 883-7.
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