ESR study of the thymine anion radical in a single crystal of thymine monohydrate

ESR spectroscopy was used to study free radicals in an irradiated single crystal of thymine monohydrate at 77 K. At low microwave power (20 microW), a broad doublet is found to be super-imposed on the well known resonance patterns of the 5-yl and 7-yl radicals. The doublet spectrum has been analysed as a difference spectrum. Its spectroscopic properties and the observed transformation into the 5-yl, H-addition radical on warming the crystal are consistent with its anion nature, T(-).