• The lactams in basic medium hyhdrolyse to yield the amino carboxylic acids with the labelled carbon present in the corresponding positions.
• Hydrazoic acid decarboxylates generating a diamino butanes.
• The CO₂ once again is absorbed in Ba(OH)₂ and the BaCO₃ count measured using the Geiger counter.
• At this stage the count should account for 12.5% of the starting material which is what was found.

Mn⁷⁺ oxidation and subsequent treatment with HN₃ repeated with the dicarboxylic acids obtained earlier and the BaCO₃ count is found out, it should be 12.5% by calculation which is shat was observed.

Thus prediction on the basis of the rection schmes shown and the measured radioactive count is in agreemenrt lending credence to the proposed mechanism.