Sum Frequency Studies of Liquid Interfaces

在这项由实验物理化学计划资助的奖项中，哥伦比亚大学的肯尼斯·B·艾森塔尔教授和他的研究生和本科生同事将继续进行旨在研究分子在界面上的酸碱反应的研究。他们将通过使用主要对界面上的分子敏感的非线性光谱方法来做到这一点。这些研究的最终目的是了解当物种存在于界面时，酸和碱的反应性如何变化--一个与迄今主要研究的大体积液体环境截然不同的环境。酸碱反应是一大类普遍存在的化学反应。与液体的界面也是无处不在的，例如，所有水体的表面大约占地球表面的三分之二。这是令人惊讶的，但人们对发生在这些类型的界面上的酸碱化学知之甚少。艾森塔尔教授和他的年轻同事正试图揭示这一重要信息。除了这些开创性研究的更广泛的科学影响外，该奖项支持的年轻科学家将接受无与伦比的界面化学和物理培训。

In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, Prof. Kenneth B. Eisenthal of Columbia University and his graduate and undergraduate student colleagues will pursue studies aimed at investigating the acid-base reactivity of molecules at interfaces. They will do this by using non-linear spectroscopic methods that are primarily sensitive to molecules at interfaces. The ultimate aim of these studies is to learn how the reactivity of acids and bases changes when the species are present at an interface -- an environment that is quite different from the bulk liquid environment which has heretofore been mostly studied.Acid and base reactivity is a large, ubiquitous class of chemical reactions. Interfaces with liquids are also ubiquitous, e.g. the surface of all bodies of water comprise roughly 2/3 of the earth's surface. It is surprising, but very little is known about the acid-base chemistry that occurs at these types of interfaces. Prof. Eisenthal and his young colleagues are attempting to uncover this important information. Besides the broader scientific impact of these groundbreaking studies, the young scientists supported by this award will receive unparalleled training in interfacial chemistry and physics.