VUV photophysics and dissociative photoionization of pyrimidine, purine, imidazole and benzimidazole in the 7-18Â eV photon energy range

Photoionization mass spectrometry is used to study ionization processes and fragmentation pathways of four prebiotic species, pyrimidine, purine, imidazole and benzimidazole, in the 7-18 eV photon energy region, with synchrotron radiation as excitation source. These molecules are possible precursors of the nucleic acid bases that occur in DNA and RNA. Ionization energies and ion appearance energies are reported. They are compared with electron impact and other studies and are discussed in terms of the electronic and nuclear structures of these species and their cations. The ion appearance energies, in conjunction with thermochemical data, were used to propose dissociative photoionization pathways, principally involving loss of HCN molecules in each of the four species. Astrophysical implications of the results concern the prospects for observation and survival of these molecules in the interstellar medium, in comets and in meteorites. Suggestions are made concerning suitable sites for radioastronomical searches for these purines and pyrimidines.