Photoelectron spectroscopic and density functional theoretical studies of the 2'-deoxycytidine homodimer radical anion.

The intact (parent) 2'-deoxycytidine homodimer anion, (dC)2 (●-), was generated in the gas phase (in vacuo) using an infrared desorption∕photoemission source and its photoelectron spectrum was recorded using a pulsed, magnetic bottle photoelectron spectrometer. The photoelectron spectrum (PES) revealed a broad peak with the maximum at an electron binding energy between 1.6 and 1.9 eV and with a threshold at ∼1.2 eV. The relative energies and vertical detachment energies of possible anion radicals were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31++G(∗∗) level of theory. The most stable anion radicals are the complexes involving combinations of the sugar[middle dot][middle dot][middle dot]base and base[middle dot][middle dot][middle dot]base interactions. The calculated adiabatic electron affinities and vertical detachment energies of the most stable (dC)2 (●-) anions agree with the experimental values. In contrast with previous experimental-computational studies on the anionic complexes involving nucleobases with various proton-donors, the electron-induced proton transferred structures of (dC)2 (●-) are not responsible for the shape of PES.