Cytosine lowest energy structures

Figure 7.8 The eight lowest energy structures of hydrogen-bonded cytosine dimers. Relative energies are in parenthesis in cm according to [65].

Nucleobases, such as cytosine, thymine, and uracil are the most important pyrimidine derivatives. In a recent gas-phase study [64], three low-energy tautomers were identified on the basis of CCSD(T)/cc-pVQZ energy calculations andMP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) estimation ofthe vibrational frequencies. The authors emphasize the importance of the high-level estimation of the frequencies and the related thermal correction in order to obtain rehable AG within a 0.7 kcal mol free energy range of the tautomers at T = 450 K. The lowest-free-energy structure is the canonical hydroxy-amine form of cytosine. 

Figure 16-14. Computed energy levels for the ground state (S0) and the lowest triplet excited state (T) of the cytosine dimer in its triplet locally excited state 3(LE), step-wise intermediate 3(SWI), and ground-state cyclobutane cytosine (CBC) dimer. The main intermolecular geometric parameters (in A) for 3(SWI) are included. At the 3(SWI) optimized structure a singlet-triplet crossing, (T1/S0)x, takes place...

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