Direct Observation of Triplet-State Population Dynamics in the RNA Uracil Derivative 1-Cyclohexyluracil

Investigation of the excited-state dynamics in nucleic acid monomers is an area of active research due to the crucial role these early events play in DNA and RNA photodamage. The dynamics and rate at which the triplet state is populated are key mechanistic pathways yet to be fully elucidated. Direct spectroscopic evidence is presented in this contribution for intersystem crossing dynamics in a uracil derivative, 1-cyclohexyluracil. It is shown that intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold occurs in one picosecond or less in acetonitrile solution-at least an order of magnitude faster than previously estimated experimentally. Broadband transient absorption measurements also reveal the primary electronic relaxation pathways of the uracil chromophore, including the absorption spectra of the (1)ππ*, (1)nπ*, and (3)ππ* states and the rates of vibrational cooling in the ground and (3)ππ* states. The experimental results are supported by density functional calculations.