Electron attachment to isolated nucleic acid bases

Abstract

Uracil, thymine, and adenine anions were produced in charge-exchange collisions with laser-excited Rydberg atoms. Anion creation rates for uracil and thymine exhibit Rydberg electron energy dependences which are interpreted as due to the creation of both dipole-bound and conventional (valence) anions while only dipole-bound anions are observed for adenine.