X-ray spectroscopy of heterocyclic biochemicals: xanthine, hypoxanthine, and caffeine.

The electronic structures of the purine derivatives xanthine, hypoxanthine and caffeine have been investigated in the gas phase using C, N, and O 1s X-ray photoemission (XPS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The results have been interpreted by means of ab initio calculations using the third-order algebraic-diagrammatic construction (ADC(3)) method for the one-particle Green's function and the second-order ADC method (ADC(2)) for the polarization propagator. The carbon, nitrogen and oxygen K-edge NEXAFS spectra of xanthine and caffeine are very similar, since the molecules differ only by substitution of three hydrogen atoms by methyl groups. For hypoxanthine, the electronic structure and spectra differ considerably from xanthine as the purine ring is more highly conjugated, and there is one less oxo group. Effects due to oxo-hydroxy tautomerism were not observed. However, the two oxo tautomeric forms of hypoxanthine oxo-N(9)-H and oxo-N(7)-H are populated in the gas phase, and the C 1s spectra can be simulated only by taking account of these two tautomers, with appropriate Boltzmann population ratios which we have also calculated. For xanthine and caffeine, single tautomeric forms were observed.

Comprehensive core-level study of the effects of isomerism, halogenation, and methylation on the tautomeric equilibrium of cytosine.

Core-level X-ray photoemission and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of 5-methylcytosine, 5-fluorocytosine, and isocytosine are presented and discussed with the aid of high-level ab initio calculations. The effects of the methylation, halogenation, and isomerization on the relative stabilities of cytosine tautomers are clearly identified spectroscopically. The hydroxy-oxo tautomeric forms of these molecules have been identified, and their quantitative populations at the experimental temperature are calculated and compared with the experimental results and with previous calculations. The calculated values of Gibbs free energy and Boltzmann population ratios are in good agreement with the experimental results characterizing tautomer equilibrium.

An experimental and theoretical core-level study of tautomerism in guanine.

The core level photoemission and near edge X-ray photoabsorption spectra of guanine in the gas phase have been measured and the results interpreted with the aid of high level ab initio calculations. Tautomers are clearly identified spectroscopically, and their relative free energies and Boltzmann populations at the temperature of the experiment (600 K) have been calculated and compared with the experimental results and with previous calculations. We obtain good agreement between experiment and the Boltzmann weighted theoretical photoemission spectra, which allows a quantitative determination of the ratio of oxo to hydroxy tautomer populations. For the photoabsorption spectra, good agreement is found for the C 1s and O 1s spectra but only fair agreement for the N 1s edge.

Tautomerism in cytosine and uracil: an experimental and theoretical core level spectroscopic study.

The O, N, and C 1s core level photoemission spectra of the nucleobases cytosine and uracil have been measured in the vapor phase, and the results have been interpreted via theoretical calculations. Our calculations accurately predict the relative binding energies of the core level features observed in the experimental photoemission results and provide a full assignment. In agreement with previous work, a single tautomer of uracil is populated at 405 K, giving rise to relatively simple spectra. At 450 K, three tautomers of cytosine, one of which may consist of two rotamers, are identified, and their populations are determined. This resolves inconsistencies between recent laser studies of this molecule in which the rare imino-oxo tautomer was not observed and older microwave spectra in which it was reported.