Comprehensive theoretical and experimental analysis of UV-radiation and low energy electron induced phenomena in nucleic acid bases (NABs) and base assemblies are presented in this book. NABs are highly photostable; the absorbed energy is dissipated in the form of ultrafast nonradiative decay.

This book highlights the possible mechanisms of these phenomena which is important for all living species and discusses technical challenges in exploration of these processes. This volume will be of particular interest for those involved in understanding the photophysical/photochemical properties of nucleic acids. All chapters are written by the world's leading experts, both from the experimental and computational areas.

From the reviews:

"The editors … succeed in creating a balanced portrait of their interdependent efforts in the book’s 21 chapters. … the book contains a number of excellent individual reviews that will benefit workers interested in excited states in small DNA model systems and in the mechanisms by which low-energy electrons induce strand breaks. There are excellent references to the recent and older literature throughout the book that will be valued by established and new workers in the field." (Bern Kohler, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 131 (6), 2008)