Arrhenius activation parameters (E(a), A) for the loss of neutral nucleobases from a series of T-rich, doubly and triply deprotonated 15- and 20-mer oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing a single reactive base (X = A or C) with the sequence, XT14, XT19 and T19X, have been determined using the blackbody infrared radiative dissociation technique. The A-containing anions are significantly more reactive (> or =3000 times) than the C-containing ions over the temperature range investigated. Importantly, the Arrhenius parameters for the loss of AH exhibit a strong dependence on size of the ODN and, to some extent, the charge state; the Arrhenius parameters increase with size and charge (Ea = 29-39 kcal mol(-1), A = 10(15)-10(20) s(-1)). In contrast, the parameters for the loss of CH are much less sensitive to size (Ea = 35-39 kcal mol(-1), A = 10(14)-10(17) s(-1)). The results are consistent with a greater contribution from the internal solvation of the reactive base to the Arrhenius parameters for the loss of A, compared with C, from the 15- and 20-mers. To further probe differences in internal solvation of A and C, hydrogen/deuterium exchange was carried out on AT19(-3), T19A(-3), CT19(-3) and T19C(-3) using D2O as the exchange reagent. However, the H/D exchange results did not reveal any differences in internal solvation within the ODN anions. Arrhenius parameters for the dissociation of noncovalent complexes of T20(-3) and the neutral nucleobase AH or CH have also been determined. Differences in the parameters indicate differences in the nature of the intermolecular interactions. It is proposed that neutral A-T interactions (i.e., base-base), which originate in solution, dominate in the case of (T20 + AH)(-3), while charge solvation, involving CH and a deprotonated phosphate group, is present for (T20 + CH)(-3).