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Molecular spectroscopy

Complexity of excited-state dynamics in DNA (Reply)

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Abstract

We have shown1 that long-lived excited electronic states known as excimers2, which arise from base stacking3, are formed in high yields in a variety of synthetic DNA oligonucleotides. Markovitsi et al.4 question our interpretation, and claim that these states can be accounted for by their exciton theory. However, neither this nor their emission data contradict our finding that in single- and double-stranded A·T (adenine–thymine-paired) DNA, excited states decay through long-lived intermediate states in which excitation is shared by stacked bases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210, Ohio, USA

    Carlos E. Crespo-Hernández, Boiko Cohen & Bern Kohler

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  1. Carlos E. Crespo-Hernández
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  2. Boiko Cohen
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  3. Bern Kohler
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Correspondence to Bern Kohler.

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Crespo-Hernández, C., Cohen, B. & Kohler, B. Complexity of excited-state dynamics in DNA (Reply). Nature 441, E8 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04904

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