Deciphering Low Energy Deactivation Channels in Adenine

Sub-100-fs energy transfer in coenzyme NADH is a coherent process assisted by a charge-transfer state

Excitation energy transfer (EET) is a key photoinduced process in biological chromophoric assemblies. Here we investigate the factors which can drive EET into efficient ultrafast sub-ps regimes. We demonstrate how a coherent transport of electronic population could facilitate this in water solvated NADH coenzyme and uncover the role of an intermediate dark charge-transfer state. High temporal resolution ultrafast optical spectroscopy gives a 54±11 fs time constant for the EET process. Nonadiabatic quantum dynamical simulations computed through the time-evolution of multidimensional wavepackets suggest that the population transfer is mediated by photoexcited molecular vibrations due to strong coupling between the electronic states. The polar aqueous solvent environment leads to the active participation of a dark charge transfer state, accelerating the vibronically coherent EET process in favorably stacked conformers and solvent cavities. Our work demonstrates how the interplay of structural and environmental factors leads to diverse pathways for the EET process in flexible heterodimers and provides general insights relevant for coherent EET processes in stacked multichromophoric aggregates like DNA strands.

Extreme ultraviolet time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of adenine, adenosine and adenosine monophosphate in a liquid flat jet

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using an extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) probe pulse was used to investigate the UV photoinduced dynamics of adenine (Ade), adenosine (Ado), and adenosine-5-monophosphate (AMP) in a liquid water jet. In contrast to previous studies using UV probe pulses, the XUV pulse at 21.7 eV can photoionize all excited states of a molecule, allowing for full relaxation pathways to be addressed after excitation at 4.66 eV. This work was carried out using a gas-dynamic flat liquid jet, resulting in considerably enhanced signal compared to a cylindrical jet. All three species decay on multiple time scales that are assigned based on their decay associated spectra; the fastest decay of ∼100 fs is assigned to ππ* decay to the ground state, while a smaller component with a lifetime of ∼500 fs is attributed to the nπ* state. An additional slower channel in Ade is assigned to the 7H Ade conformer, as seen previously. This work demonstrates the capability of XUV-TRPES to disentangle non-adiabatic dynamics in an aqueous solution in a state-specific manner and represents the first identification of the nπ* state in the relaxation dynamics of adenine and its derivatives.

Reconciling TD-DFT and CASPT2 electronic structure methods for describing the photophysics of DNA

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) are two of the most widely used methods to investigate photoinduced dynamics in DNA-based systems. These methods sometimes give diverse dynamics in physiological environments usually modeled by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) protocol. In this work, we demonstrate for the uridine test case that the underlying topology of the potential energy surfaces of electronic states involved in photoinduced relaxation is similar in both electronic structure methods. This is verified by analyzing surface-hopping dynamics performed at the QM/MM level on aqueous solvated uridine at TD-DFT and CASPT2 levels. By constraining the dynamics to remain onπ π * state we observe similar fluctuations in energy and relaxation lifetimes in surface-hopping dynamics in both TD-DFT and experimentally validated CASPT2 methods. This finding calls for a systematic comparison of the ES potential energy surfaces of DNA and RNA nucleosides at the single- and multi-reference levels of theory. The anomalous long excited state lifetime at the TD-DFT level is explained byn π * trapping due to the tendency of TD-DFT in QM/MM schemes with electrostatic embedding to underestimate the energy of theπ π * state leading to a wrongπ π * / n π * energetic order. A study of the FC energetics suggests that improving the description of the surrounding environment through polarizable embedding or by the expansion of QM layer with hydrogen-bonded waters helps restore the correct state order at TD-DFT level. Thus by combining TDDFT with an accurate modeling of the environment, TD-DFT is positioned as the standout protocol to model photoinduced dynamics in DNA-based aggregates and multimers.

Galván I, Rivalta I, Aquilante F, Garavelli M, Lindh R, Segarra-Martí J. Characterizing Conical Intersections in DNA/RNA Nucleobases with Multiconfigurational Wave Functions of Varying Active Space Size

We characterize the photochemically relevant conical intersections between the lowest-lying accessible electronic excited states of the different DNA/RNA nucleobases using Cholesky decomposition-based complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) algorithms. We benchmark two different basis set contractions and several active spaces for each nucleobase and conical intersection type, measuring for the first time how active space size affects conical intersection topographies in these systems and the potential implications these may have toward their description of photoinduced phenomena. Our results show that conical intersection topographies are highly sensitive to the electron correlation included in the model: by changing the amount (and type) of correlated orbitals, conical intersection topographies vastly change, and the changes observed do not follow any converging pattern toward the topographies obtained with the largest and most correlated active spaces. Comparison across systems shows analogous topographies for almost all intersections mediating population transfer to the dark 1nO/Nπ* states, while no similarities are observed for the "ethylene-like" conical intersection ascribed to mediate the ultrafast decay component to the ground state in all DNA/RNA nucleobases. Basis set size seems to have a minor effect, appearing to be relevant only for purine-based derivatives. We rule out structural changes as a key factor in classifying the different conical intersections, which display almost identical geometries across active space and basis set change, and we highlight instead the importance of correctly describing the electronic states involved at these crossing points. Our work shows that careful active space selection is essential to accurately describe conical intersection topographies and therefore to adequately account for their active role in molecular photochemistry.

Excited State Deactivation Mechanisms of Protonated Adenine: a Theoretical study

Quantum chemical computational method as well as the adiabatic dynamics simulation have been employed to investigate the non-radiative relaxation mechanism of protonated 9H- and 7H-adenine (AH+). We have located three...

Adenine ultrafast photorelaxation via electron-driven proton transfer

Photorelaxation of adenine in water was reported to be ultrafast (within 180 fs) primarily due to radiationless relaxation. However, in the last two decades, several experimental and theoretical investigations on photoexcitation of adenine have revealed diverse types of decay mechanisms. Using time-dependent density functional excited-state nonadiabatic dynamics simulations we show that it is the water to adenine electron-driven proton transfer (EDPT) barrierless reaction responsible for the ultrafast component of the adenine relaxation, which, however, occurred only in the case of the 7H isomer of adenine with five water molecules. This result reveals a known reaction pathway, however not found in previous simulations, with inference for the ultrafast relaxation mechanisms of adenine reported in experiments. The 9H isomer of adenine with six water molecules relaxing in a water cluster followed the previously known structural distortion (C2) decay pathway. The observations of the adenine EDPT reaction with water provide the origin of the experimental ultrafast adenine decay component and present a possible method to tackle future computational challenges in molecular-level biological processes.

Site-Specific Photo-oxidation of the Isolated Adenosine-5'-triphosphate Dianion Determined by Photoelectron Imaging

Photoelectron imaging of the isolated adenosine-5'-triphosphate dianion excited to the ¹ππ* states reveals that electron emission is predominantly parallel to the polarization axis of the light and arises from subpicosecond electron tunneling through the repulsive Coulomb barrier (RCB). The computed RCB shows that the most probable electron emission site is on the amino group of adenine. This is consistent with the photoelectron imaging: excitation to the ¹ππ* states leads to an aligned ensemble distributed predominantly parallel to the long axis of adenine; the subsequent electron tunneling site is along this axis; and the negatively charged phosphate groups guide the outgoing electron mostly along this axis at long range. Imaging of electron tunneling from polyanions combined with computational chemistry may offer a general route for probing the intrinsic photo-oxidation site and dynamics as well as the overall structure of complex isolated species.

Modeling multidimensional spectral lineshapes from first principles: application to water-solvated adenine

We theoretically describe spectral lineshape from first principles, providing insight into solvent–solute interactions in terms of static and dynamic disorder and how these shape experimental signals in linear and non-linear optical spectroscopies.

Quantum Chemical Modeling of the Photoinduced Activity of Multichromophoric Biosystems

Multichromophoric biosystems represent a broad family with very diverse members, ranging from light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes to nucleic acids. The former are designed to capture, harvest, efficiently transport, and transform energy from sunlight for photosynthesis, while the latter should dissipate the absorbed radiation as quickly as possible to prevent photodamages and corruption of the carried genetic information. Because of the unique electronic and structural characteristics, the modeling of their photoinduced activity is a real challenge. Numerous approaches have been devised building on the theoretical development achieved for single chromophores and on model Hamiltonians that capture the essential features of the system. Still, a question remains: is a general strategy for the accurate modeling of multichromophoric systems possible? By using a quantum chemical point of view, here we review the advancements developed so far highlighting differences and similarities with the single chromophore treatment. Finally, we outline the important limitations and challenges that still need to be tackled to reach a complete and accurate picture of their photoinduced properties and dynamics.

MS-CASPT2 Studies on the Photophysics of Selenium-Substituted Guanine Nucleobase

The MS-CASPT2 method has been employed to optimize minimum-energy structures of 6-selenoguanine (6SeGua) and related two- and three-state intersection structures in and between the lowest five electronic states, i.e., S₂(¹ππ*), S₁(¹ nπ*), T₂(³ nπ*), T₁(³ππ*), and S₀. In combination with MS-CASPT2 calculated linearly interpolated internal coordinate paths, the photophysical mechanism of 6SeGua has been proposed. The initially populated S₂(¹ππ*) state decays to either S₁(¹ nπ*) or T₂(³ nπ*) states through a three-state S₂/S₁/T₂ intersection point. The large S₂/T₂ spin-orbit coupling of 435 cm^-1, according to the classical El-Sayed rule, benefits the S₂ → T₂ intersystem crossing process. The S₁(¹ nπ*) state that stems from the S₂ → S₁ internal conversion process at the S₂/S₁/T₂ intersection point can further jump to the T₂(³ nπ*) state through the S₁ → T₂ intersystem crossing process. This process does not comply with the El-Sayed rule, but it is still related to a comparatively large spin-orbit coupling of 39 cm^-1 and is expected to occur relatively fast. Finally, the T₂(³ nπ*) state, which is populated from the above S₂ → T₂ and S₁ → T₂ intersystem crossing processes, decays to the T₁(³ππ*) state via an internal conversion process. Because there is merely a small energy barrier of 0.11 eV separating the T₁(³ππ*) minimum and an energetically allowed two-state T₁/S₀ intersection point, the T₁(³ππ*) state still can decay to the S₀ state quickly, which is also enhanced by a large T₁/S₀ spin-orbit coupling of 252 cm^-1. Our proposed mechanism explains experimentally observed ultrafast intersystem crossing processes in 6SeGua and its 835-fold acceleration of the T₁ state decay to the S₀ state compared with 6tGua. Finally, we have found that the ground-state electronic structure of 6SeGua has more apparent multireference character.

Mechanisms of photoreactivity in hydrogen-bonded adenine-H2O complexes

The mechanisms of photoinduced reactions of adenine with water molecules in hydrogen-bonded adenine-water complexes were investigated with ab initio wave-function-based electronic-structure calculations. Two excited-state electron/proton transfer reaction mechanisms have been characterized: H-atom abstraction from water by photoexcited adenine as well as H-atom transfer from photoexcited adenine or the (adenine+H) radical to water. In the water-to-adenine H-atom transfer reaction, an electron from one of the p orbitals of the water molecule fills the hole in the n (π) orbital of the nπ* (ππ*) excited state of adenine, resulting in a charge-separated electronic state. The electronic charge separation is neutralized by the transfer of a proton from the water molecule to adenine, resulting in the (adenine+H)OH biradical in the electronic ground state. In the adenine-to-water H-atom transfer reaction, πσ* states localized at the acidic sites of adenine provide the mechanism for the photoejection of an electron from adenine, which is followed by proton transfer to the hydrogen-bonded water molecule, resulting in the (adenine-H)H3O biradical. The energy profiles of the photoreactions have been computed as relaxed scans with the ADC(2) electronic-structure method. These reactions, which involve the reactivity of adenine with hydrogen-bonded water molecules, compete with the well-established intrinsic excited-state deactivation mechanisms of adenine via ring-puckering or ring-opening conical intersections. By providing additional decay channels, the electron/proton exchange reactions with water can account for the observed significantly shortened excited-state lifetime of adenine in aqueous environments. These findings indicate that adenine possibly was not only a photostabilizer at the beginning of life, but also a primordial photocatalyst for water splitting.

Tracking the origin of photostability in purine nucleobases: the photophysics of 2-oxopurine

Molding purine PES through functionalization: whilst purine C₂-substitution maintains the features of the spectroscopic PES of the heterocycle, C₆-functionalization reshapes its topography leading to photostable systems.

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of adenosine and adenosine monophosphate photodeactivation dynamics in water microjets

The excited state relaxation dynamics of adenosine and adenosine monophosphate were studied at multiple excitation energies using femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in a liquid water microjet. At pump energies of 4.69-4.97 eV, the lowest ππ^* excited state, S₁, was accessed and its decay dynamics were probed via ionization at 6.20 eV. By reversing the role of the pump and probe lasers, a higher-lying ππ^* state was excited at 6.20 eV and its time-evolving photoelectron spectrum was monitored at probe energies of 4.69-4.97 eV. The S₁ ππ^* excited state was found to decay with a lifetime ranging from ∼210 to 250 fs in adenosine and ∼220 to 250 fs in adenosine monophosphate. This lifetime drops with increasing pump photon energy. Signal from the higher-lying ππ^* excited state decayed on a time scale of ∼320 fs and was measureable only in adenosine monophosphate.

A 'bottom up', ab initio computational approach to understanding fundamental photophysical processes in nitrogen containing heterocycles, DNA bases and base pairs

The availability of non-radiative decay mechanisms by which photoexcited molecules can revert to their ground electronic state, without experiencing potentially deleterious chemical transformation, is fundamental to molecular photostability. This Perspective Article combines results of new ab initio electronic structure calculations and prior experimental data in an effort to systematise trends in the non-radiative decay following UV excitation of selected families of heterocyclic molecules. We start with the prototypical uni- and bicyclic molecules phenol and indole, and explore the structural and photophysical consequences of incorporating progressively more nitrogen atoms within the respective ring structures en route to the DNA bases thymine, cytosine, adenine and guanine. For each of the latter, we identify low energy non-radiative decay pathways via conical intersections with the ground state potential energy surface accessed by out-of-plane ring deformations. This is followed by summary descriptions and illustrations of selected rival (electron driven H atom transfer) non-radiative excited state decay processes that demand consideration once the nucleobases are merely components in larger biomolecular systems like nucleosides, and both individual and stacked base-pairs.

Sub-50 fs excited state dynamics of 6-chloroguanine upon deep ultraviolet excitation

The photophysical properties of natural nucleobases and their respective nucleotides are ascribed to the sub-picosecond lifetime of their first singlet states in the UV-B region (260-350 nm). Electronic transitions of the ππ* type, which are stronger than those in the UV-B region, lie at the red edge of the UV-C range (100-260 nm) in all isolated nucleobases. The lowest energetic excited states in the UV-B region of nucleobases have been investigated using a plethora of experimental and theoretical methods in gas and solution phases. The sub-picosecond lifetime of these molecules is not a general attribute of all nucleobases but specific to the five primary nucleobases and a few xanthine and methylated derivatives. To determine the overall UV photostability, we aim to understand the effect of more energetic photons lying in the UV-C region on nucleobases. To determine the UV-C initiated photophysics of a nucleobase system, we chose a halogen substituted purine, 6-chloroguanine (6-ClG), that we had investigated previously using resonance Raman spectroscopy. We have performed quantitative measurements of the resonance Raman cross-section across the Bb absorption band (210-230 nm) and constructed the Raman excitation profiles. We modeled the excitation profiles using Lee and Heller's time-dependent theory of resonance Raman intensities to extract the initial excited state dynamics of 6-ClG within 30-50 fs after photoexcitation. We found that imidazole and pyrimidine rings of 6-ClG undergo expansion and contraction, respectively, following photoexcitation to the Bb state. The amount of distortions of the excited state structure from that of the ground state structure is reflected by the total internal reorganization energy that is determined at 112 cm(-1). The contribution of the inertial component of the solvent response towards the total reorganization energy was obtained at 1220 cm(-1). In addition, our simulation also yields an instantaneous response of the first solvation shell within an ultrafast timescale of less than 30 fs following photoexcitation.

Ultrafast structural dynamics of photoexcited adenine

Ultraviolet Resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy derives distinct electronic properties of adenine in the L_a (260 nm) and B_b (210 nm) excited states.

Multiple Decay Mechanisms and 2D-UV Spectroscopic Fingerprints of Singlet Excited Solvated Adenine-Uracil Monophosphate

The decay channels of singlet excited adenine uracil monophosphate (ApU) in water are studied with CASPT2//CASSCF:MM potential energy calculations and simulation of the 2D-UV spectroscopic fingerprints with the aim of elucidating the role of the different electronic states of the stacked conformer in the excited state dynamics. The adenine (1) La state can decay without a barrier to a conical intersection with the ground state. In contrast, the adenine (1) Lb and uracil S(U) states have minima that are separated from the intersections by sizeable barriers. Depending on the backbone conformation, the CT state can undergo inter-base hydrogen transfer and decay to the ground state through a conical intersection, or it can yield a long-lived minimum stabilized by a hydrogen bond between the two ribose rings. This suggests that the (1) Lb , S(U) and CT states of the stacked conformer may all contribute to the experimental lifetimes of 18 and 240 ps. We have also simulated the time evolution of the 2D-UV spectra and provide the specific fingerprint of each species in a recommended probe window between 25 000 and 38 000 cm(-1) in which decongested, clearly distinguishable spectra can be obtained. This is expected to allow the mechanistic scenarios to be discerned in the near future with the help of the corresponding experiments. Our results reveal the complexity of the photophysics of the relatively small ApU system, and the potential of 2D-UV spectroscopy to disentangle the photophysics of multichromophoric systems.

Gas-Phase Femtosecond Particle Spectroscopy: A Bottom-Up Approach to Nucleotide Dynamics

We summarize how gas-phase ultrafast charged-particle spectroscopy has been used to provide an understanding of the photophysics of DNA building blocks. We focus on adenine and discuss how, following UV excitation, specific interactions determine the fates of its excited states. The dynamics can be probed using a systematic bottom-up approach that provides control over these interactions and that allows ever-larger complexes to be studied. Starting from a chromophore in adenine, the excited state decay mechanisms of adenine and chemically substituted or clustered adenine are considered and then extended to adenosine mono-, di-, and trinucleotides. We show that the gas-phase approach can offer exquisite insight into the dynamics observed in aqueous solution, but we also highlight stark differences. An outlook is provided that discusses some of the most promising developments in this bottom-up approach.

Quantum Mechanical Studies on the Photophysics and the Photochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Nucleobases

The photophysics and photochemistry of DNA is of great importance due to the potential damage of the genetic code by UV light. Quantum mechanical studies have played a key role in interpretating the results of modern time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, and in elucidating the main photoactivated reactive paths. This review provides a concise, complete picture of the computational studies carried out, approximately, in the past decade. We start with an overview of the photophysics of the nucleobases in the gas phase and in solution. We discuss the proposed mechanisms for ultrafast decay to the ground state, that involve conical intersections, consider the role of triplet states, and analyze how the solvent modulates the photophysics. Then we move to larger systems, from dinucleotides to single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides. We focus on the possible role of charge transfer and delocalized or excitonic states in the photophysics of these systems and discuss the main photochemical paths. We finish with an outlook on the current challenges in the field and future directions of research.

Singlet-Triplet States Interaction Regions in DNA/RNA Nucleobase Hypersurfaces

The present study provides new insight into the intrinsic mechanisms for the population of the triplet manifold in DNA nucleobases by determining, at the multiconfigurational CASSCF/CASPT2 level, the singlet-triplet states crossing regions and the main decay paths for their lowest singlet and triplet states after near-UV irradiation. The studied singlet-triplet interacting regions are accessible along the minimum energy path of the initially populated singlet bright (1)ππ* state. In particular, all five natural DNA/RNA nucleobases have, at the end of the main minimum energy path and near a conical intersection of the ground and (1)ππ* states, a low-energy, easily accessible, singlet-triplet crossing region directly connecting the lowest singlet and triplet ππ* excited states. Adenine, thymine, and uracil display additional higher-energy crossing regions related to the presence of low-lying singlet and a triplet nπ* state. These funnels are absent in guanine and cytosine, which have the bright (1)ππ* state lower in energy and less accessible nπ* states. Knowledge of the location and accessibility of these regions, in which the singlet-triplet interaction is related to large spin-orbit coupling elements, may help to understand experimental evidence such as the wavelength dependence measured for the triplet formation quantum yield in nucleobases and the prevalence of adenine and thymine components in the phosphorescence spectra of DNA.

Probing deactivation pathways of DNA nucleobases by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy: first principles simulations

The SOS//QM/MM [Rivalta et al., Int. J. Quant. Chem., 2014, 114, 85] method consists of an arsenal of computational tools allowing accurate simulation of one-dimensional (1D) and bi-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra of monomeric and dimeric systems with unprecedented details and accuracy. Prominent features like doubly excited local and excimer states, accessible in multi-photon processes, as well as charge-transfer states arise naturally through the fully quantum-mechanical description of the aggregates. In this contribution the SOS//QM/MM approach is extended to simulate time-resolved 2D spectra that can be used to characterize ultrafast excited state relaxation dynamics with atomistic details. We demonstrate how critical structures on the excited state potential energy surface, obtained through state-of-the-art quantum chemical computations, can be used as snapshots of the excited state relaxation dynamics to generate spectral fingerprints for different de-excitation channels. The approach is based on high-level multi-configurational wavefunction methods combined with non-linear response theory and incorporates the effects of the solvent/environment through hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) techniques. Specifically, the protocol makes use of the second-order Perturbation Theory (CASPT2) on top of Complete Active Space Self Consistent Field (CASSCF) strategy to compute the high-lying excited states that can be accessed in different 2D experimental setups. As an example, the photophysics of the stacked adenine-adenine dimer in a double-stranded DNA is modeled through 2D near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectroscopy.

Deciphering the photochemical mechanisms describing the UV-induced processes occurring in solvated guanine monophosphate

The photophysics and photochemistry of water-solvated guanine monophosphate (GMP) are here characterized by means of a multireference quantum-chemical/molecular mechanics theoretical approach (CASPT2//CASSCF/AMBER) in order to elucidate the main photo-processes occurring upon UV-light irradiation. The effect of the solvent and of the phosphate group on the energetics and structural features of this system are evaluated for the first time employing high-level ab initio methods and thoroughly compared to those in vacuo previously reported in the literature and to the experimental evidence to assess to which extent they influence the photoinduced mechanisms. Solvated electronic excitation energies of solvated GMP at the Franck-Condon (FC) region show a red shift for the ππ(*) La and Lb states, whereas the energy of the oxygen lone-pair nπ(*) state is blue-shifted. The main photoinduced decay route is promoted through a ring-puckering motion along the bright lowest-lying La state toward a conical intersection (CI) with the ground state, involving a very shallow stationary point along the minimum energy pathway in contrast to the barrierless profile found in gas-phase, the point being placed at the end of the minimum energy path (MEP) thus endorsing its ultrafast deactivation in accordance with time-resolved transient and photoelectron spectroscopy experiments. The role of the nπ(*) state in the solvated system is severely diminished as the crossings with the initially populated La state and also with the Lb state are placed too high energetically to partake prominently in the deactivation photo-process. The proposed mechanism present in solvated and in vacuo DNA/RNA chromophores validates the intrinsic photostability mechanism through CI-mediated non-radiative processes accompanying the bright excited-state population toward the ground state and subsequent relaxation back to the FC region.

Computational modeling of photoexcitation in DNA single and double strands

The photoexcitation of DNA strands triggers extremely complex photoinduced processes, which cannot be understood solely on the basis of the behavior of the nucleobase building blocks. Decisive factors in DNA oligomers and polymers include collective electronic effects, excitonic coupling, hydrogen-bonding interactions, local steric hindrance, charge transfer, and environmental and solvent effects. This chapter surveys recent theoretical and computational efforts to model real-world excited-state DNA strands using a variety of established and emerging theoretical methods. One central issue is the role of localized vs delocalized excitations and the extent to which they determine the nature and the temporal evolution of the initial photoexcitation in DNA strands.

Excited state evolution of DNA stacked adenines resolved at the CASPT2//CASSCF/Amber level: from the bright to the excimer state and back

L_a and excimer state population exchange, along the common puckering decay coordinate, explains the longest DNA lifetime component.

Slow deactivation channels in UV-photoexcited adenine DNA

The molecular mechanism for removing the excess energy in DNA bases is responsible for the high photostability of DNA and is thus the subject of intense theoretical/computational investigation. To understand why the excited state decay of the stacked bases is significantly longer than that of the monomers, we carried out electronic structure calculations on an adenine monomer and an aqueous (dA)5 oligonucleotide employing the CASPT2//CASSCF and CASPT2//CASSCF/AMBER levels of theory. The newly-found bright excited state pair Sstack1((1)ππ*) and Sstack2((1)ππ*) of d(A)5, originated from base stacking, is of intra-base charge transfer nature and occurs in different stacked bases with charge transfer along opposite directions. Two slow deactivation channels of d(A)5 were proposed as a result of the sizable barriers along the relaxation paths starting from the FC point of the Sstack1((1)ππ*) state. The SN1P((1)nπ*) state of d(A)5 serves as an intermediate state in one relaxation channel, to which a nonadiabatic decay from the Sstack1((1)ππ*) state occurs in an energy degeneracy region. A relatively high barrier in this state is found and attributed to the steric hindrance of the DNA environment due to the large NH2 group twisting, which gives a weak and red-shifted fluorescence. Another direct relaxation channel, induced by the C2-H2 bond twisting motion, is found to go through a conical intersection between the Sstack1((1)ππ*) and the ground state. The barrier found here enables fluorescence from the Sstack1((1)ππ*) state and may explain the bright state emission observed in the fluorescence upconversion measurements. The inter-molecular SCT((1)ππ*) state may be involved in the slow relaxation process of the photoexcited adenine oligomers through efficient internal conversion to the intra-base Sstack1((1)ππ*) state.

Mode-specific vibrational relaxation of photoexcited guanosine 5'-monophosphate and its acid form: a femtosecond broadband mid-IR transient absorption and theoretical study

UV-pump/broadband-mid-IR-probe transient absorption (TA) experiments and ab initio quantum mechanical (QM) calculations were used to investigate the photophysics in heavy water of the neutral and acid forms of guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP and GMPD(+), respectively). Excited GMP undergoes ultrafast internal conversion (IC) and returns to the electronic ground state in less than one picosecond with a large amount of excess vibrational energy. The spectroscopic signals are dominated by vibrational cooling - a process in which the solute dissipates vibrational energy to the solvent. For neutral GMP, cooling proceeds with a time constant of 3 ps. Following IC, at least some medium-frequency modes such as the carbonyl stretch and an in-plane ring vibration are excited, suggesting that the vibrational energy distribution is non-statistical. This is consistent with predicted structural changes upon passage through the S1/S0 conical intersection. GMPD(+) differs from GMP by a single deuteron at the N7 position, but has a dramatically longer lifetime of 200 ps. Vibrational cooling of the S1 state of GMPD(+) was monitored via several medium-frequency modes that were assigned using QM calculations. These medium-frequency modes are also vibrationally excited in a non-statistical fashion. Excitation of these modes is in line with the change in geometry at the S1 minimum of GMPD(+) predicted by QM calculations. Furthermore, these modes relax at different rates, fully consistent with QM calculations, which predict that excited vibrational states of the carbonyl stretch couple strongly to the D2O solvent and thus deactivate via intermolecular energy transfer (IET). In contrast, the ring stretch couples strongly to other ring modes of the guanine chromophore and appears to decay via intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR).

Mapping the Ultrafast Dynamics of Adenine onto Its Nucleotide and Oligonucleotides by Time-Resolved Photoelectron Imaging

The intrinsic photophysics of nucleobases and nucleotides following UV absorption presents a key reductionist step toward understanding the complex photodamage mechanisms occurring in DNA. The decay mechanism of adenine in particular has been the focus of intense investigation, as has how these correlate to those of its more biologically relevant nucleotide and oligonucleotides in aqueous solution. Here, we report on time-resolved photoelectron imaging of the deprotonated 3'-deoxy-adenosine-5'-monophosphate nucleotide and the adenosine di- and trinucleotides. Through a comparison of gas- and solution-phase experiments and available theoretical studies, the dynamics of the base are shown to be relatively insensitive to the surrounding environment. The decay mechanism primarily involves internal conversion from the initially populated (1)ππ* states to the ground state. The relaxation dynamics of the adenosine oligonucleotides are similar to those of the nucleobase, in contrast to the aqueous oligonucleotides, where a fraction of the ensemble forms long-lived excimer states.

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging of the isolated deprotonated nucleotides

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of deprotonated nucleotides provides new insights into their relaxation dynamics.

Ultrafast photo-initiated molecular quantum dynamics in the DNA dinucleotide d(ApG) revealed by broadband transient absorption spectroscopy

The ultrafast photo-initiated quantum dynamics of the adenine-guanine dinucleotide d(ApG) in aqueous solution (pH 7) has been studied by femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy after excitation at lambda = 260 nm. The results reveal a hierarchy of processes on time scales from tau < 100 fs to tau > 100 ps. Characteristic spectro-temporal signatures are observed indicating the transformation of the molecules in the electronic relaxation from the photo-excited state to a long-lived exciplex. In particular, broadband UV/VIS excited-state absorption (ESA) measurements detected a distinctive absorption by the excited dinucleotide around lambda = 335 nm, approximately 0.5 eV to the blue compared to the maximum of the broad and unstructured ESA spectrum after excitation of an equimolar mixture of the mononucleotides dAMP and dGMP. A similar feature has been identified as signature of the excimer in the dynamics of the adenine dinucleotide d(ApA). The lifetime of the d(ApG) exciplex was found to be tau = 124 +/- 4 ps both from the ESA decay time and from the ground-state recovery time, far longer than the sub-picosecond lifetimes of excited dAMP or dGMP. Fluorescence-time profiles measured by the up-conversion technique indicate that the exciplex state is reached around approximately 6 ps after excitation. Very weak residual fluorescence at longer times red-shifted to the emission from the photo-excited state shows that the exciplex is almost optically dark, but still has enough oscillator strength to give rise to the dual fluorescence of the dinucleotide in the static fluorescence spectrum.

Two-dimensional fourier transform spectroscopy of adenine and uracil using shaped ultrafast laser pulses in the deep UV

We compare two-dimensional (2D) ultrafast Fourier transform spectroscopy measurements in the deep UV (262 nm) for adenine and uracil in solution. Both molecules show excited-state absorption on short time scales and ground-state bleaching extending for over 1 ps. While the 2D spectrum for uracil shows changes in the center of gravity during the first few hundred femtoseconds, the center of gravity of the 2D spectrum for adenine does not show similar changes. We discuss our results in light of ab initio electronic structure calculations.