Quasi-free electron energy in supercritical carbon dioxide and water: A research program involving rural and first-generation STEM students

有了这个奖项，化学系的化学结构，动力学和机制（CSDM-A）计划正在支持Cherice M。纽约市立大学皇后学院的埃文斯和加里L. Findley在路易斯安那大学门罗分校进行补充实验和理论研究的溶剂结构在重要的化学反应中的作用。 他们的工作是寻求更好的理解，以更好，更有效，更少的环境侵入性化学制造和加工。 这与可持续化学的目标是一致的，包括尽可能不使用溶剂的原则，以及溶剂在使用时应该是无害的。 通过参与来自纽约市立大学的研究生和本科生以及来自路易斯安那州的本科生-门罗（其中许多人来自低收入家庭，是第一代大学生），这项工作提供了令人兴奋的研究机会，不仅旨在推进科学，但保留学生的兴趣和扩大STEM领域的能力。 一些研究利用同步加速器设施在中心先进的微结构和器件在巴吞鲁日，洛杉矶，让所有参与的学生与科学家从一个高素质的用户设施，同时介绍纽约市立大学的学生在生活/学习社区环境中的美国文化的新方面。要求门罗的参与者在皇后学院展示他们的研究成果，这确保了这些学生将接触到一个主要的城市环境-这对许多学生来说是第一次。研究特别关注准自由电子的溶剂化，作为在这些溶剂所代表的广泛温度和密度范围内的目标介质中溶剂结构的探针。 选择用于研究的系统包括超临界二氧化碳、高温水和超临界水。 这些溶剂是目标，因为它们的溶剂化特性可以通过温度和压力的微小变化来调节，从而可能在单个步骤中实现产物分离和溶剂纯化。 溶液中的自由电子是局部溶剂结构的理想探针，并将有助于阐明这些重要介质中的反应性。具有低能量的电子通过来自溶剂中的电极表面的场增强光电发射产生，并且所产生的电流用第二电极检测。 实验正在进行中，在一个新的同步加速器设施在中心的先进的微结构和器件在巴吞鲁日，洛杉矶，和由此产生的数据被用来开发经验模型的超临界溶剂系统的微观结构。

With this award, the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms (CSDM-A) Program of the Division of Chemistry is supporting Professor Cherice M. Evans at CUNY - Queens College and Professor Gary L. Findley at the University of Louisiana-Monroe to undertake complementary experimental and theoretical studies of the role of solvent structure in important chemical reactions. Their work seeks improved understanding upon which to base better, more efficient, and less environmentally invasive chemical manufacturing and processing. It is congruent with the aims of sustainable chemistry, including the principles that the use of solvents should be made unnecessary wherever possible, and solvents should be innocuous when used. By involving graduate and undergraduate students from CUNY as well as undergraduates from Louisiana - Monroe (many of whom are from low-income families and are first generation college students), the work makes available exciting research opportunities intended not only to advance science, but to retain student interest and expand capabilities in STEM fields. Some of the research utilizes synchrotron facilities at the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices in Baton Rouge, LA, allowing all participating students to interact with scientists from a high caliber user facility, while introducing CUNY students to new aspects of United States culture in a Living/Learning community environment. The requirement that Monroe participants present their research results at Queens College ensures that these students will be exposed to a major urban environment -a first for many of these students.The research specifically focuses on solvation of quasi-free electrons as probes of the solvent structure in the target media across the broad temperature and density range represented by these solvents. The systems chosen for study include supercritical carbon dioxide, high temperature water, and supercritical water. These solvents are targeted because their solvation properties can be adjusted by small changes in temperature and pressure, potentially enabling product isolation and solvent purification in a single step. A free electron in solution makes an ideal probe of local solvent structure, and will help illuminate reactivity in these important media. Electrons with low energies are produced by field-enhanced photoemission from electrode surfaces in the solvent and the resulting current is detected with a second electrode. Experiments are being conducted at a new synchrotron facility at the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices in Baton Rouge, LA, and the resulting data are used to develop empirical models for the microscopic structure of the supercritical solvent systems.