A quantum-mechanical study of the interaction of glyoxal with guanine

A quantum molecular study by the SCFab initio method of the interaction of glyoxal with guanine provides for the formation of a stable covalent adduct in which the glyoxal fragment forms a complementary cyclic ring attached to the imino N₁ and amino N₂ atoms of guanine with the concomitant migration of the N-bonded H atoms to the oxygens of glyoxal. The reaction should proceed in two steps. The most plausible mechanism involves as the first step the interaction of a carbonyl group of glyoxal with the amino group of guanine followed by a similar interaction at the imino group of guanine, rather than the reverse order of interactions. The respective energy barriers are 49.7 and 63.9 kcal/mole. The intermediate product is also more stable when the adduct occurs first at N₂:30.7 kcal/mole versus 17.9 kcal/mole for the adduct at N₁.