Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

12:19
Uracil-DNA Glycosylase Assay by Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 22, 2022
Low-energy electron collisions with gas-phase uracil
1A. A. Noyes Laboratory of Chemical Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|November 15, 2006
Summary
We studied electron collisions with uracil molecules to understand resonance structures. Findings reveal pi* shape resonances and a potential sigma* resonance, impacting electron scattering and dissociative attachment.
Area of Science:
- Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Quantum Chemistry
- Electron Scattering
Background:
- Uracil is a fundamental biomolecule with significant implications in biological processes.
- Understanding electron-uracil interactions is crucial for fields like radiation chemistry and astrobiology.
- Resonance structures in electron scattering significantly influence molecular interactions and fragmentation pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the resonance structure of the electron-uracil scattering cross section.
- To identify and characterize potential shape resonances (pi* and sigma*) in electron-uracil collisions.
- To correlate elastic scattering resonances with observed features in dissociative attachment.
Main Methods:
- Symmetry-resolved calculations for elastic electron scattering.
- Utilized fixed-nuclei, static-exchange, and static-exchange-plus-polarization approximations.
- Performed electron-impact excitation calculations for low-lying triplet and singlet electronic states.
Main Results:
- Located expected pi* shape resonances in the electron-uracil scattering cross section.
- Indicated the possible existence of a low-energy sigma* resonance.
- Observed a very large cross section for singlet electron-impact excitation.
Conclusions:
- The identified resonances provide insights into the electron-uracil interaction mechanism.
- Resonance structures correlate with features observed in electron-induced dissociative attachment.
- This study enhances the understanding of electron-driven processes in uracil.
Related Concept Videos
Nucleotide Excision Repair
Overview
Nucleotide Excision Repair
DNA Distortion and Damage
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Cells are regularly exposed to mutagens—factors in the environment that can damage DNA and generate mutations. UV radiation is one of the most common mutagens and is estimated to introduce a significant number of changes in DNA. These include bends or kinks in the structure, which can block DNA replication or transcription. If these errors are not fixed, the damage can cause mutations, which in turn can result in cancer or disease depending on which sequences are...
Mutations
Mutations are changes in the sequence of DNA. These changes can occur spontaneously or they can be induced by exposure to environmental factors. Mutations can be characterized in a number of different ways: whether and how they alter the amino acid sequence of the protein, whether they occur over a small or large area of DNA, and whether they occur in somatic cells or germline cells.
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Chromosomal Alterations Are Large-Scale Mutations
While point mutations are changes in a single nucleotide in...
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations
Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).
Arrhenius Plots
The Arrhenius equation relates the activation energy and the rate constant, k, for chemical reactions. In the Arrhenius equation, k = Ae−Ea/RT, R is the ideal gas constant, which has a value of 8.314 J/mol·K, T is the temperature on the kelvin scale, Ea is the activation energy in J/mole, e is the constant 2.7183, and A is a constant called the frequency factor, which is related to the frequency of collisions and the orientation of the reacting molecules.
The Arrhenius equation can be used to...
The Arrhenius equation can be used to...
Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram
Luminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed energy, is a process that involves the interaction of molecules with light. The energy-level diagram, or Jablonski diagram, is a graphical representation of these interactions, illustrating the various states and transitions a molecule can undergo. In a typical Jablonski diagram, the lowest horizontal line represents the ground-state energy of the molecule, which is usually a singlet state. This state represents the energies...

