Probing the Electronic Structure of Metal Clusters and Multiply Charged Anions

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Dr. Lai-Sheng Wang of Washington State University is supported by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to continue his studies of the electronic structure of atomic clusters and multiply charged anions in the gas phase. A magnetic-bottle time-of-flight photodetachment photoelectron spectroscopy apparatus with laser vaporization cluster source or electrospray ion source will be employed to carry out the experiments. Project activities will focus on clusters of transition metals, aluminum and gallium, transition metal oxides, and alloys. The goal of the effort on atomic clusters is to elucidate their electronic structure and evolution with cluster size toward bulk band structure. In addition, Coulomb barriers in multiply charged anions, solvent stabilization effects, oxide complexes as catalytic intermediates, and iron-sulfur cluster complexes will be probed. The outcomes are expected to improve the understanding of multiply charged anions in the gas phase, including their stability, energetics, and solvation. The electronic structure of atomic clusters, and its evolution with cluster size, are not well understood. Outcomes from the atomic cluster research will impact the understanding of chemistry relevant to corrosion, catalysis, and oxidation. Improved atomic level knowledge of bonding between metallic elements will be valuable in developing new materials. Iron-sulfur proteins are important electron transfer agents in biological systems, and the iron-sulfur cluster anion studies will help in understanding the protein geometry and properties.