The absolute total cross section (TCS) for electron collisions with tetrahydrofuran ${\mathrm{C}}_4{\mathrm{H}}_8\mathrm{O}$ in the gas phase has been measured using the linear transmission technique within $1–370\mathrm{eV}$ energy range. The total cross section function for $e^{-}\text{−}{\mathrm{C}}_4{\mathrm{H}}_8\mathrm{O}$ collisions is characterized by the relatively high magnitude and the broad enhancement spanned between 4 and $12\mathrm{eV}$, with some resonantlike structures. This enhancement can be explained as a result of overlapping core-excited resonances. At higher collision energies the magnitude of the measured total cross section monotonically decreases with the energy increase. At low impact energies some additional weak resonant features are visible near 1.9 and $3.5\mathrm{eV}$. The reported TCS results are higher by 30% than recently published by Zecca et al. [J. Phys. B 38, 2079 (1995)]. They are also distinctly different from the recent $R$-matrix calculations. At intermediate energy range the present data agree well with the sum of calculated elastic and ionization cross sections.

Total dissociative electron attachment cross sections are presented for the amino acids, glycine, alanine, proline, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, at energies below the first ionization energy. Cross section magnitudes were determined by observation of positive ion production and normalization to ionization cross sections calculated using the binary-encounter-Bethe method. The prominent 1.2eV feature in the cross sections of the amino acids and the closely related HCOOH molecule is widely attributed to the attachment into the –COOH π* orbital. The authors discuss evidence that direct attachment to the lowest σ* orbital may instead be responsible. A close correlation between the energies of the core-excited anion states of glycine, alanine, and proline and the ionization energies of the neutral molecules is found. A prominent feature in the total dissociative electron attachment cross section of these compounds is absent in previous studies using mass analysis, suggesting that the missing fragment is energetic H−.