Radiation-Induced Transfer of Charge, Atoms and Energy within Isolated Biomolecular Systems

In biological tissues, ionizing radiation interacts with a variety of molecules and the consequences include cell killing and the modification of mechanical properties. Applications of biological radiation action are for instance radiotherapy, sterilization or the tailoring of biomaterial properties. During the first femtoseconds to milliseconds after the initial radiation action, biomolecular systems typically respond by transfer of charge, atoms or energy. In the condensed phase, it is usually very difficult to distinguish direct effects from indirect effects. A straightforward solution for this problem is the use of gas-phase techniques, for instance from the field of mass spectrometry. In this review, we survey mainly experimental but also theoretical work, focusing on radiation-induced intra- and inter-molecular transfer of charge, atoms and energy within biomolecular systems in the gas phase. Building blocks of DNA, proteins and saccharides, but also antibiotics are considered. The emergence of general processes as well as their timescales and mechanisms are highlighted.