Single crystals of sodium salt of guanosine dihydrate and 9 Ethyl Guanine were X-irradiated with the objective of identifying the radical products. Study with K-band EPR, ENDOR, and ENDOR-Induced EPR techniques indicated at least four radical species to appear in both crystals in the temperature range of 6K to room temperature. Three of these radicals (Radicals R1, R2, and R3) were present immediately after irradiation at 6K. Computational chemistry and EPR spectrum simulation methods were also used to assist in radical identifications. Radical R1, the product of net hydrogen addition to N7, and Radical R2, the product of electron loss from the parent molecule, were observed in both systems. Radical R3, in Na+.Guanosine-.2H2O, is the product of net hydrogen abstraction from C1' of ribose group and radical R3 in 9EtG was left unassigned due to insufficient experimental data. Radical R4, the C8-H addition radical, was also detected in both systems. For Na+.Guanosine-.2H2O, R4 was observed after warming the irradiated crystals to the room temperature. But for the 9EtG crystals the corresponding radical form was detected after irradiation at room temperature. Density functional theory (DFT) based computational studies was conducted to investigate the radical formation mechanisms and their stability. Here possibilities of proton transfers from the neighboring molecules were considered. The first approach was to consider the proton affinities of the acceptor sites and deprotonation enthalpies of the donor sites. This approach supported the formation of radicals observed in both systems. The second approach, applied only to the 9EtG system, was based on proton transfers between 9EtG base-pair anion and cation radicals. Even though the charge and spins were localized as expected, the computed thermodynamic data predicted that the proton transfer processes are unfavorable for both anionic and cationic base-pairs. This indicates the need for additional work to draw final conclusions. In addition, DFT methods were used to compute the geometries and hyperfine coupling constants of 9EtG derived radicals in both single molecule and cluster models. The calculated results agreed well with the experimental results.

When proteins and DNA interact, arginine and lysine are the two amino acids most often in close contact with the DNA. In order to understand the radiation damage to DNA in vivo, which is always associated with protein, it is important to learn the radiation chemistry of arginine and lysine independently, and when complexed to DNA. This work studied X-irradiated single crystals of L-lysine monohydrochloride dihydrate (L-lysine·HCl·2H2O) and L-arginine monohydrochloride monohydrate (L-arginine·HCl·H2O) with EPR, ENDOR, EIE techniques and DFT calculations. In both crystal types irradiated at 66K, the carboxyl anion radical and the decarboxylation radical were detected. DFT calculations supported these assignments. Specifically, the calculations performed on the cluster models for the carboxyl anion radicals reproduced the proton transfers to the carboxyl group from the neighboring molecules through the hydrogen bonds. Moreover, computations supported the identification of one radical type as the guanidyl radical anion with an electron trapped by the guanidyl group. In addition, the radical formed by dehydrogenation of C5 was identified in the L-arginine·HCl·H2O crystals irradiated at 66K. For both crystal types, the deamination radicals and the dehydrogenation radicals were identified following irradiation at 298K. Different conformations of main-chain deamination radicals were detected at 66K and at 298K. In L-lysine·HCl·2H2O, these conformations are the result of the different rotation angles of the side chain. In L-arginine·HCl·H2O, one conformation at 66K has no O-H dipolar protons while the others have two O-H dipolar protons. In L-lysine·HCl·2H2O, two radicals with very similar sets of hyperfine couplings were identified as the result of dehydrogenation from C3 and C5. Two other radicals in low concentration detected only at 66K, were tentatively assigned as the radical dehydrogenated from C3 and the side-chain deamination radical. In L-argnine·HCl·H2O, the radicals from dehydrogenation at C5 and C2 also were identified. DFT calculations supported these assignments and reproduced conformations of these radicals.Finally, based on the radicals detected in the crystal irradated at 66K and at 298K, the annealing experiments from the irradiation at 66K, and the previous studies on the irradiated amino acids, the mechanisms of the irradiation damage on lysinie and arginine were proposed.

Le traitement quantique de l'information est un domaine très actif dont les enjeux sont importants tant d'un point de vue du savoir scientifique fondamental que des applications technologiques. Dans ce contexte le concept de bus de spin consiste à employer en tandem des spins électroniques et nucléaires. Les électrons célibataires servent de tête de lecture et d'écriture sur le registre de bits quantiques constitué par les spins nucléaires. Les électrons sont délocalisés sur un ensemble de spins nucléaires dont les temps de décohérences doivent être longs. Dans ce travail nous avons étudié un ion titane (III) dans l'oxyde de gallium dont nous avons synthétisé et étudié des monocristaux. Une étude approfondie par RPE et ENDOR en onde continue a montré que l'électron porté par le titane était en interaction avec huit noyaux de gallium qui constituent le registre de qubits potentiel. L'étude a également révélé un effet isotopique sur les interactions noyau-noyau véhiculées par l'électron. Lorsque les deux noyaux de gallium entourant le titane sont identiques (mêmes isotopes), cette interaction est d'un ordre de grandeur plus grande que dans le cas d'isotopes différents, un effet qui peut être employé afin de réduire la durée des opérations logiques. Enfin, la dynamique de cet ensemble de spin a été caractérisée par RPE et ENDOR en impulsions. Il s'avère que la décohérence électronique est dominée par des phénomènes de diffusion instantanée et de diffusion spectrale. La dynamique des spins nucléaires les expériences menées permettent de déterminer l'ordre de grandeur des temps de relaxation longitudinaux et de décohérence des spins nucléaires.

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