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A Plausible Mechanism of Uracil Photohydration Involves an Unusual Intermediate.


ABSTRACT: It is well-known that photolysis of pyrimidine nucleobases, such as uracil, in an aqueous environment results in the formation of hydrate as one of the main products. Although several hypotheses regarding photohydration have been proposed in the past, e.g., the zwitterionic and "hot" ground-state mechanisms, its detailed mechanism remains elusive. Here, theoretical nonadiabatic simulations of the uracil photodynamics reveal the formation of a highly energetic but kinetically stable intermediate that features a half-chair puckered pyrimidine ring and a strongly twisted intracyclic double bond. The existence and the kinetic stability of the intermediate are confirmed by a variety of computational chemistry methods. According to the simulations, the unusual intermediate is mainly formed almost immediately (∼50-200 fs) upon photoabsorption and survives long enough to engage in a hydration reaction with a neighboring water. A plausible mechanism of uracil photohydration is proposed on the basis of the modeling of nucleophilic insertion of water into the twisted double bond of the intermediate.

SUBMITTER: Park W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9358713 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Plausible Mechanism of Uracil Photohydration Involves an Unusual Intermediate.

Park Woojin W   Filatov Gulak Michael M   Sadiq Saima S   Gerasimov Igor I   Lee Seunghoon S   Joo Taiha T   Choi Cheol Ho CH  

The journal of physical chemistry letters 20220728 30


It is well-known that photolysis of pyrimidine nucleobases, such as uracil, in an aqueous environment results in the formation of hydrate as one of the main products. Although several hypotheses regarding photohydration have been proposed in the past, e.g., the zwitterionic and "hot" ground-state mechanisms, its detailed mechanism remains elusive. Here, theoretical nonadiabatic simulations of the uracil photodynamics reveal the formation of a highly energetic but kinetically stable intermediate  ...[more]

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