The O, N, and C 1s core level photoemission spectra of the nucleobases cytosine and uracil have been measured in the vapor phase, and the results have been interpreted via theoretical calculations. Our calculations accurately predict the relative binding energies of the core level features observed in the experimental photoemission results and provide a full assignment. In agreement with previous work, a single tautomer of uracil is populated at 405 K, giving rise to relatively simple spectra. At 450 K, three tautomers of cytosine, one of which may consist of two rotamers, are identified, and their populations are determined. This resolves inconsistencies between recent laser studies of this molecule in which the rare imino-oxo tautomer was not observed and older microwave spectra in which it was reported.

The core level photoemission and near edge X-ray photoabsorption spectra of guanine in the gas phase have been measured and the results interpreted with the aid of high level ab initio calculations. Tautomers are clearly identified spectroscopically, and their relative free energies and Boltzmann populations at the temperature of the experiment (600 K) have been calculated and compared with the experimental results and with previous calculations. We obtain good agreement between experiment and the Boltzmann weighted theoretical photoemission spectra, which allows a quantitative determination of the ratio of oxo to hydroxy tautomer populations. For the photoabsorption spectra, good agreement is found for the C 1s and O 1s spectra but only fair agreement for the N 1s edge.

Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra have been measured and interpreted by means of density functional theory for five different azabenzenes (pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, and s-triazine) in the gas phase. The experimental and theoretical spectra at the N 1s and C 1s edges show a strong resonance assigned to the transition of the 1s electron in the respective N or C atoms to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital with pi(*) symmetry. As opposed to the N 1s edge, at the C 1s edge this resonance is split due to the different environments of the core hole atom in the molecule. The shift in atomic core-level energy due to a specific chemical environment is explained with the higher electronegativity of the N atom compared to the C atom. The remaining resonances below the ionization potential (IP) are assigned to sigma or pi [corrected] orbitals with mixed valence/Rydberg [corrected] character. Upon N addition, a reduction of intensity is observed in the Rydberg region at both edges as compared to the intensity in the continuum. Above the IP one or more resonances are seen and ascribed here to transitions to sigma(*) orbitals. Calculating the experimental and theoretical Delta(pi) term values at both edges, we observe that they are almost the same within +/-1 eV as expected for isoelectronic bonded pairs. The term values of the pi(*) and sigma(*) resonances are discussed in terms of the total Z number of the atoms participating in the bond.

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We have measured the synchrotron-induced photofragmentation of isolated 2-deoxy-D-ribose molecules (C(5)H(10)O(4)) at four photon energies, namely, 23.0, 15.7, 14.6, and 13.8 eV. At all photon energies above the molecule's ionization threshold we observe the formation of a large variety of molecular cation fragments, including CH(3) (+), OH(+), H(3)O(+), C(2)H(3) (+), C(2)H(4) (+), CH(x)O(+) (x=1,2,3), C(2)H(x)O(+) (x=1-5), C(3)H(x)O(+) (x=3-5), C(2)H(4)O(2) (+), C(3)H(x)O(2) (+) (x=1,2,4-6), C(4)H(5)O(2) (+), C(4)H(x)O(3) (+) (x=6,7), C(5)H(7)O(3) (+), and C(5)H(8)O(3) (+). The formation of these fragments shows a strong propensity of the DNA sugar to dissociate upon absorption of vacuum ultraviolet photons. The yields of particular fragments at various excitation photon energies in the range between 10 and 28 eV are also measured and their appearance thresholds determined. At all photon energies, the most intense relative yield is recorded for the m/q=57 fragment (C(3)H(5)O(+)), whereas a general intensity decrease is observed for all other fragments- relative to the m/q=57 fragment-with decreasing excitation energy. Thus, bond cleavage depends on the photon energy deposited in the molecule. All fragments up to m/q=75 are observed at all photon energies above their respective threshold values. Most notably, several fragmentation products, for example, CH(3) (+), H(3)O(+), C(2)H(4) (+), CH(3)O(+), and C(2)H(5)O(+), involve significant bond rearrangements and nuclear motion during the dissociation time. Multibond fragmentation of the sugar moiety in the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA results in complex strand lesions and, most likely, in subsequent reactions of the neutral or charged fragments with the surrounding DNA molecules.