Complexes between adenine and the alkali metal ions Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+ have been investigated by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy between 2800 and 3900 cm(-1), as have some singly hydrated complexes. The IRMPD spectra clearly show the N-H stretching and the NH2-symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations of adenine; and for the solvated ions, the O-H stretching vibrations are observed. These experimental spectra were compared with those for a variety of possible structures, including both A9 (A9 refers to the tautomer Where hydrogen is oil the nitrogen in position 9 of adenine, see Scheme 1) and A7 adenine tautomers, computed using B3-LYP/6-31+G(d,p). By comparing the experimental and the simulated spectra it is possible to rule out various structures and to further assign structures to the species probed in these experiments. Single-point calculations on the B3-LYP/6-31+G(d,p) geometries have been performed at MP2/6-311++G(2d, p) to obtain good estimates of the relative thermochemistries for the different structures. In all cases the computed IR spectrum for the lowest energy structure is consistent with the experimental IRMPD spectrum, but in some cases structural assignment cannot be confirmed based solely Upon comparison with the experimental spectra so computed thermochemistries can be used to rule out high-energy structures. Oil the basis of the IRMPD spectra and the energy calculations, all adenine-M+ and adenine-M+-H2O are concluded to be composed of the A7 tautomer of adenine, which is bound to the cations in a bidentate fashion through N3 and N9 (see Scheme I for numbering convention). For the hydrated ions water binds directly to the metal ion through oxygen, as would be expected since the metal contains most positive charge density. For the hydrated lithium cation-bound adenine dimer, the water molecule is concluded to be hydrogen bonded to a free basic site of one of the adenine monomers, which is also bound to the lithium cation. Experimental and theoretical results on adenine-Li+-H2O suggest that the electrosprayed adenine-Li+ resembles the lowest-energy solution phase ion rather than the lowest-energy gas-phase ion, which is the imine form.