RUI: Investigating the Interplay Between Electronic Environment and Molecular Association

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In this project, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Helen O. Leung and Prof. Mark D. Marshall of Amherst College and their undergraduate research students will continue spectroscopic studies of gas-phase van der Waals complexes formed in a pulsed jet. These experiments include studies of fluoro- and chlorofluoroethylenes complexed with protic acids in order to determine the effect of charge distribution changes on the free-space geometries of the resulting complexes. A laser ablation source will also be used to create complexes of metal atoms that can not be produced via the usual helium-nanodroplet method, in order to explore the role of charge transfer between the metal atom and its partner. The PIs will also construct a chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometer that will allow complete rotational spectra to be acquired in a small fraction of the time taken by standard FTMW spectrometers, thereby increasing the productivity of the undergraduate researchers.Besides the potential broader scientific impact of the proposed research on a fundamental understanding of molecular interactions, Prof. Leung and Prof. Marshall will provide their undergraduate research students with a challenging opportunity to perform difficult research, the results of which they will present at national professional meetings and publish in the scientific literature.