CAREER: Vibrational-State Selected Studies of Gas-Surface Reactions: Strategies for Chemical Control of Gas-Surface Reactivity

在这个由实验物理化学支持的职业项目中， 塔夫茨大学的亚瑟乌茨将在化学系的课程中， 使用超声分子束技术，红外激光激发 气相试剂，和真空表面表征， 阐明振动能的作用，无论是单独还是组合 与平移能，在促进气相的反应性 入射到固体表面的分子。 实验将探索 甲烷在Ni（111）表面上的解离化学吸附。 的 该项目的教育目标是强调积极的重要性， 学习 对于化学专业的学生，这将通过学生 参与原创研究，提供实践经验， 应该导致更深刻和更持久的理解， 概念和技能。 合作学习方法和开放式 纳入课程的实验室应产生类似的 所有参加化学课程的学生的成绩。 其他 教育方法，例如针对 非科学家，将有助于传达化学之外的重要性， 教室 比较用不同量的 振动能将确定最有效的核运动， 促进化学反应，并将有助于解释分子基础， 甲烷吸附在有序金属上后的解离 面 这些结果对于理解 材料沉积、半导体器件制造和异质 催化过程中使用的化学工业，并将有助于 了解如何提高所需产品的产量，并减少 不需要的副产品的水平。 这项工作的教育部分 应该提高对化学的理解水平， 专家和公众，并证明有效性， 其他领域的科学家也有类似的做法。

In this CAREER project supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Arthur Utz of Tufts University will use supersonic molecular-beam techniques, infrared laser excitation of gas-phase reagents, and ultrahigh vacuum surface characterization to elucidate the role of vibrational energy, both alone and in combination with translational energy, in promoting the reactivity of gas-phase molecules incident on a solid surface. Experiments will probe the dissociative chemisorption of methane on a Ni(111) surface. The educational goal of this project is to stress the importance of active learning. For chemistry majors this will be accomplished through student participation in original research, providing a hands-on experience that should lead to a deeper and more lasting understanding of important concepts and skills. Cooperative learning methods and open-ended laboratories incorporated into the curriculum should produce a similar result for all the students enrolled in chemistry courses. Other educational methods, such as public information forums targeted at the non-scientist, will help convey the importance of chemistry outside of the classroom. Comparing the reactivity of methane excited with different amounts of vibrational energy will identify the nuclear motions most effective at promoting chemical reaction and will help explain the molecular basis for the dissociation of methane following adsorption on an ordered metal surface. These results have practical importance in understanding materials deposition, semiconductor device fabrication, and heterogeneous catalysis processes used in the chemical industry, and will help understand how to improve the yields of desired products and reduce the levels of unwanted byproducts. The educational component of this work should increase the level of understanding of chemistry for both specialists and the general public and demonstrate the effectiveness of such approaches to scientists in other fields.