6aminopurine

6-aminopurine, commonly known as adenine, is a purine base with the chemical formula C5H5N5. Its IUPAC name is 9H-purin-6-amine, reflecting a fused imidazole–pyrimidine ring system with an exocyclic amino group at the 6-position. Adenine is one of the canonical nucleobases that form nucleic acids.

Adenine forms hydrogen bonds with thymine in DNA and with uracil in RNA, enabling the base-pairing that underlies genetic information storage and transcription. As a constituent of nucleotides, adenine is present in ATP, ADP, and AMP, and its ribonucleoside and deoxyribonucleoside forms are essential building blocks of RNA and DNA, respectively. Adenine is also a component of many cofactors, such as NAD and FAD, in which the adenine moiety participates in molecular interactions.

Occurrence and metabolism: In living organisms, adenine is produced and recycled through purine metabolism. It is synthesized de novo via the purine biosynthesis pathway and can be salvaged from degraded nucleotides by the enzyme adenine phosphoribosyltransferase to form AMP. Free adenine is typically present at low steady-state levels, largely bound within nucleotides.

Applications: In research and biotechnology, adenine is used as a chemical precursor for nucleotide synthesis and as a standard in analytical measurements. It is commercially available and serves as a foundational reference compound in studies of nucleic acids and related metabolic processes.

Safety and handling: Adenine is a natural cellular component and is not regarded as highly toxic under typical laboratory conditions; standard chemical safety practices apply.