EXCITED STATES OF DNA AND ITS COMPONENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE—III. SPECTRA, POLARISATION AND QUANTUM YIELDS OF EMISSIONS FROM ApA AND poly rA*

Corrected normalised emission spectra from 300 to 480 nm and their polarisation are reported for neutral and poly rA at room temperature. Yields are 4 times (ApA) and 6 times (poly rA) greater than the monomer. Comparison of emission spectra and polarisation spectra demonstrates heterogeneity of emission and, following attempts at spectral synthesis, comparison with experimental reference spectra allows the observed total emission spectra to be resolved into four components assigned as I monomer‐like emission, II excimer fluorescence, HI monomer phosphorescence, IV excimer phosphorescence; the polarisation of the excimer fluorescences of ApA and poly rA are deduced. The observations can be understood quantitatively using a simple stacking model with excimer emissions originating in the stacked components. Quantitative differences between ApA and poly rA are due to their different hypochromism and extent of stacking. Differences of polarisation are attributed to different stacking geometries, and the directional properties of the transition moment suggest that the excimer fluorescence is largely charge‐resonance in nature.