Protonation and Solvation Studied with Cluster Ion Infrared Spectroscopy

化学系的化学结构、动力学和机理(CSDM-A)项目获得该奖项，资助佐治亚大学的迈克尔·邓肯教授进行实验研究，以观察复杂质子化物种的结构和成键。这些物种通常在重要的反应机制中被引用，比如无处不在的质子转移。在这些特殊的实验中，邓肯教授将使用观测到的带有Ar原子的离子的红外光谱来推断质子化物种的结构信息，以及各种键的强度(从振动频率)。从事这个项目的研究生和本科生将接受激光科学、分子束方法和光谱学方面的培训，同时研究具有广泛科学影响的引人注目的化学问题。迈克尔·邓肯教授和他的研究小组将使用红外激光来光解在分子束中准备的Ar标记的质子化物种。这些标记离子的红外光谱是通过扫描红外激光来测量的，同时寻找未标记离子的产生。要研究的物种有：质子化的羰基、质子化的碳氢化合物(碳正离子)、质子结合的二聚体、简单的溶剂化物种的模拟物。在一个新的方向上，邓肯教授和他的学生将扩展他们的工作，看看一些有趣的质子化系统的光碎片成像，以测量这些弱束缚系统的键能，并探索一些离子的无标记光谱。邓肯教授将继续在这些重要的化学问题上与广泛的理论家和实验学家合作。

With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms (CSDM-A) Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Michael Duncan of the University of Georgia to conduct experimental studies to look at the structure and bonding in complex protonated species. These species are commonly invoked in important reaction mechanisms, like the ever-ubiquitous proton transfer. In these particular experiments, Professor Duncan will use the observed infrared spectra of ions tagged with Ar atoms to infer information about the structure of the protonated species, as well as the strengths of the various bonds (from the vibrational frequencies). The graduate and undergraduate students working on this project will receive training in laser science, molecular beam methods and spectroscopy, while working on compelling chemical problems with broad scientific impact.Profesor Michael Duncan and his research group will use infrared lasers to photodissociate Ar-tagged protonated species prepared in a molecular beam. The infrared spectrum of these tagged ions is measured by scanning the infrared laser while looking for production of the untagged ion. Species to be studied are: protonated carbonyls, protonated hydrocarbons (carbocations), proton-bound dimers, simple mimics of solvated species. In a new direction, Prof. Duncan and his students will expand their work to look at photofragment imaging of some interesting protonated systems to measure the bond energies for these weakly bound systems and to explore the tag-free spectroscopy of some of the ions. Professor Duncan will continue to collaborate with a wide range of theorists and experimentalists on these important chemical problems.