Role of ribose in the initial excited state structural dynamics of thymidine in water solution: a resonance Raman and density functional theory investigation.

Resonance Raman spectra were obtained for thymidine and thymine with excitation wavelengths in resonance with the approximately 260 nm band absorption spectrum. The spectra indicate that the Franck-Condon (FC) region photodissociation dynamics of thymidine have multidimensional character with motion predominantly along the nominal C5=C6 stretch + C6-H bend nu17 (delta = 0.75, lambda = 468 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C6-H bend + N1-C1, stretch nu29 (delta = 0.73, lambda = 363 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C5-CH3/ N1-C1, stretch nu37 (delta = 0.69, lambda = 292 cm(-1)), and accompanied by the moderate and minor changes in the nu40, nu20 and nu23, nu55, nu60, nu61, nu63 modes. A preliminary resonance Raman intensity analysis was done, and these results for thymidine and thymine were compared to each other. The roles of ribose in the FC structure dynamics of thymidine were explored and the results were used to correlate to its lifetime constants tau1 and tau2 for two nonradiative decay channels. Spi/Sn conical intersection versus a distorted structure of Spi,min in the FC region was briefly discussed.