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

在这个由化学部实验物理化学计划支持的CAREER项目中，塔夫茨大学的Arthur Utz将使用超音速分子束技术，红外激光激发气相试剂，以及超高真空表面表征来阐明振动能，无论是单独的还是与平动能结合，在促进气相分子入射到固体表面的反应性方面的作用。实验将探测甲烷在Ni（111）表面的解离化学吸附。这个项目的教育目标是强调主动学习的重要性。对于化学专业的学生来说，这将通过学生参与原创研究来完成，提供实践经验，这应该会导致对重要概念和技能的更深入和更持久的理解。将合作学习方法和开放式实验纳入课程，对所有参加化学课程的学生应该产生类似的结果。其他教育方法，如针对非科学家的公共信息论坛，将有助于在课堂之外传达化学的重要性。比较受不同振动能激发的甲烷的反应活性，将确定促进化学反应最有效的核运动，并将有助于解释甲烷在有序金属表面吸附后解离的分子基础。这些结果对于理解化学工业中使用的材料沉积，半导体器件制造和多相催化过程具有实际意义，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物的水平。这项工作的教育部分应提高专家和一般公众对化学的了解水平，并向其他领域的科学家展示这种方法的有效性。

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.