Dynamics of Electronically Excited States. Models for Chemical Reactivity

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In this project by Prof. David Pratt of the University of Pittsburgh, the Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division supports experimental research on fundamental questions concerning the structures and forces at work in weakly bound complexes, mechanisms of intramolecular energy flow, and chemical reaction pathways. By means of high resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy the properties of excited electronic states are determined and questions of the dynamics of chemical reactions are addressed. %%% Understanding the fundamentals of chemical reactions on a molecular level is at the current frontier of physical chemistry. Once a molecule is enriched with high vibrational and electronic energy, it can shed this energy in a reactionless process, it can dissociate into fragments, or it can react with other molecules to form new ones. If the details of these individual processes are known and understood, reactions could be steered into preferred directions. The determination of such detailed, molecular level understanding for species of chemical interest is the goal of this research project.