Low energy electron attachment to the nucleotide deoxycytidine monophosphate: direct evidence for the molecular mechanisms of electron-induced DNA strand breaks.

Reactions induced by the attachment of low energy electrons to an entire gas phase nucleotide (2'-deoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate) are reported for the first time. From the resonant attachment profiles information on the site of initial electron localization and from the observed ionic fragments information on final bond cleavage can be extracted.