Achieving Selectivity in a Chemical Reaction Process Using Reactant Orientation via Electric Fields

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Wei Kong of Oregon State University has been awarded a CAREER grant in the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to investigate ways of orienting chemical reactants to achieve reaction selectivity. The goal is the ability to selectively cleave a designated chemical bond with minimum effects from competitive pathways. Using supersonic molecular beams and moderate electric fields, orientation of polar reactants has been observed. The oriented chemical bond will then be selectively dissociated by a linearly polarized laser. Depending on the direction of the transition dipole moment of the oriented molecules and the polarization direction of the laser, one reaction coordinate will be preferentially excited, resulting in selective cleavage of a chemical bond. Prof. Kong's educational plans include development of a new course on chemical reaction dynamics emphasizing a `case studies` approach, and the teaching of an existing quantum chemistry course from a historical perspective. Selectivity in a multiple-path reaction is one of the most fascinating questions in chemical kinetics and reaction dynamics, and achieving selectivity has been a major driving force in many scientific endeavors. With selectivity, different reaction pathways can be isolated and investigated in detail. This ability will not only allow a deeper understanding of each reaction path, but also enable investigations of systems that would otherwise be too complicated to tackle.