Publications by authors named "H De Cooman"

Radiation-induced primary radicals in lithium formate. A material used in EPR dosimetry have been studied using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and ENDOR-Induced EPR (EIE) techniques. In this study, single crystals were X irradiated at 6-8 K and radical formation at these and higher temperatures were investigated.

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The structural changes throughout the entire reductive radiation-induced pathway of l-α-alanine are solved on an atomistic level with the aid of periodic DFT and nudged elastic band (NEB) simulations. This yields unprecedented information on the conformational changes taking place, including the protonation state of the carboxyl group in the "unstable" and "stable" alanine radicals and the internal transformation converting these two radical variants at temperatures above 220 K. The structures of all stable radicals were verified by calculating EPR properties and comparing those with experimental data.

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Ionizing radiation induces a composite, multiline electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum in sucrose, that is stable at room temperature and whose intensity is indicative of the radiation dose. Recently, the three radicals which dominate this spectrum were identified and their proton hyperfine tensors were accurately determined. Understanding the powder EPR spectrum of irradiated sucrose, however, also requires an accurate knowledge of the g tensors of these radicals.

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A DFT study of radiation induced alkoxy radical formation in crystalline α-l-rhamnose has been performed to better understand the processes leading to selective radical formation in carbohydrates upon exposure to ionizing radiation at low temperatures. The apparent specificity of radiation damage to carbohydrates is of great interest for understanding radiation damage processes in the ribose backbone of the DNA molecule. Alkoxy radicals are formed by deprotonation from hydroxyl groups in oxidized sugar molecules.

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Radicals generated in trehalose single crystals by X radiation at room temperature were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and ENDOR-induced EPR measurements, together with periodic density functional theory calculations. In the first days after irradiation, three radical species (I1, I2 and I3) were detected, two of which (I1 and I2) dominate the EPR spectrum and could be identified as H-abstracted species centered at C3' (I1) and C2 (I2), the latter with additional formation of a carbonyl group at C3. Annealing the sample at 40 °C for 3 days or storing it in ambient conditions for three months resulted in another, more stable EPR spectrum.

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