INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF NUCLEIC ACID BASES

Abstract

The gas-phase spectroscopy of biological molecules may aid in the understanding of these molecules in more complex environments. To this end, the gas-phase infrared spectra of thymine, uracil, and adenine were recorded from 300 to $3500 cm^{-1}$ with a Bruker IFS 120 Fourier transform spectrometer. The spectra were obtained in both emission and absorption at a resolution of $1 cm^{-1}$. The results are compared with those of previous matrix isolation experiments and theoretical calculations.