CHANGES INDUCED BY IONIZATION IN THE NUCLEUS OF THE OXYGEN ATOM Until recently it was assumed that ionization changed only the electron shells of atoms or molecules. This opinion was firmly established theoretically as well as experimentally by various accurate physical analyses of ionized gases.
In order to explain the hyperfine structure of atomic spectra Pauli advanced, for the first time, the hypothesis that in addition to their electric charge the atom nuclei also possess magnetic moments. If a system of nuclei having magnetic moments is placed in a magnetic field, the mo ments will be acted upon by couples of forces, aligning them in parallel with the field. With appropriate techniques, the magnetic moments were caused to absorb the energy of a variable magnetic field oscillating at radio frequencies. Such absorption gives rise to the nuclear magnetic-resonance spectrum. The latter is bsent in the case of nuclei devoid of magnetic moments.
Recent studies on high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectra firmly established that any changes induced in the electron shell of an atom are reflected in the physical properties of the nucleus of the ionized atom. This was a tremendous achievement of modern science since it proved the direct relationship between the physical (electron) parameters of the atom shells and the physical parameters of the atomic nucleus (protons). For instance, the nuclear spin (angular momentum) tends to orient the spin of the electrons surrounding the given nucleus, and these in turn orient the spin of other electrons; the interaction is usually ex pressed in cycles per second, using the Planck constant as the unit of energy. The observed energies range from 1000 cps to very small values, at the limit of sensitivity of the recording instruments (J. Pople and others).
It has been established that nuclear spins are coupled through the orbital motion of electrons, and this fact is especially important for the theory of the biological effect of air ions. Hence, the constant of spin-spin interaction is determined by the coupling between the orbital motion of the electrons with the magnetic moments of the nuclei. This interaction is readily explained by the simple classical concept that the magnetic moment of each nucleus induces a certain current in the molecule which, in turn, generates a magnetic field that acts upon another nucleus (MacConnell).
In their analyses of the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, physicists could use the nucleus as a test magnet in studies of local magnetic effects of intramolecular systems. The local magnetic field in the vicinity of a given nucleus depends upon the chemical nature of the nucleus, and is determined by several factors including polarization of certain sectors of the specimen, magnetic moments (nuclear and electron) of the neighboring molecules, and the intramolecular effects related to other nuclei and electrons of the same molecule in the liquid and gaseous states (H. Bern stein and others). Improved experimental techniques made possible high resolution of the indivudual nuclear resonance signals and greatly acce lerated the application of this method to a wide range of physicochemical problems. This is particularly relevant to the oxygen molecules. The molar paramagnetic susceptibility of the oxygen molecule, at 20°K, is considerable. The paramagnetic susceptibilities are approximately 100 times higher than the diamagnetic ones. Atmospheric oxygen dis solved in the specimen may distort the nuclear magnetic-resonance spectra of the specimen being analyzed. The presence of paramagnetic ions gives rise to local magnetic fields, that change the lifetimes of the nuclear spin states and consequently the width of signals (J. Pople).
Signal displacement was recorded in salt solutions containing para magnetic ions (Bloernbergen, Dickinson). These shifts are best explained by the direct interaction of unpaired electrons with the protons that deter mine the hyperfine structure of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra.
The interaction of atmospheric oxygen ions with living organisms is thus highly complex. Studies of it therefore require thorough knowledge of the recent developments and achievements of physics, physical chemistry, and biophysics. Many clinicians studying the curative effect of air ions have apparently been lacking in this knowledge, and have consequently reached erroneous conclusions.