Abstract
As part of a programme to investigate the interactions of fast electrons with important biological molecules, we have measured the energy loss spectra of ∼ 20 keV electrons transmitted through thin films of five nucleic acid bases. We measured these spectra in order to determine whether the energy loss information could be used as a contrast mechanism in high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy1. But the spectra can also provide information about atomic, molecular, and solid state transitions in the range ∼ 1 eV to 103 eV. Furthermore, changes in the spectra as a function of irradiation can provide a measure of the radiation damage sustained by the molecules due to the action of the incident electron beam.
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CREWE, A., ISAACSON, M. & JOHNSON, D. Electron Energy Loss Spectra of the Nucleic Acid Bases. Nature 231, 262–263 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/231262a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/231262a0
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