title: Comment on "Molecular gyroscopes and biological effects of weak extremely low-frequency magnetic fields".
abstract: A mechanism whereby reaction rates may be influenced by weak alternating magnetic fields has been suggested by Binhi and Savin [Phys. Rev. E 65, 051912 (2002)] to account for certain magnetobiological effects. It is proposed that the fields influence the probability of reaction of molecular rotators (gyroscopes) by inducing interference between eigenstates of angular momentum superposed in their wave functions. The predicted variation of reaction rate with the amplitude of the alternating field is found to be qualitatively consistent with observation. It is commented that the required interference occurs only in circumstances which are quite implausible, and that even if it were possible, the interference would not lead to a detectable magnetobiological effect.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D008280:Magnetics; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009991:Oscillometry; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins