Radiation-induced oxidation and reduction of nitromethyluracil

Abstract

ESR–ENDOR measurements were made on single crystals of 5-nitro-6-methyluracil x-irradiated at 4.2 K. The primary oxidation and reduction products were characterized and identified. The reduced species has a large spin density localized on the nitrogen atom of the nitro group. The hyperfine and quadrupole coupling tensors of the 14N nucleus were determined from ENDOR measurements. The oxidized species is the cation formed by removal of an electron from the uracil ring.