This award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, supports a project by Dr. Shizuka Hsieh and her students at Smith College, an undergraduate liberal arts college for women. The aim is to quantify the photochemistry of organic hydroperoxides, atmospheric molecules that are potential sources and sinks of radicals, at solar wavelengths available at dawn and at dusk. For the near-IR and visible wavelengths that excite high vibrational states, existing laser-based and computational tools enable characterization of the initial absorption process, the nature of the vibrational states, and any subsequent radical formation. New equipment will extend capabilities to quantifying radical production at near-UV wavelengths. Target molecules are atmospheric hydroperoxides for which little is currently known: ethyl, propyl, and fluorinated methyl hydroperoxides. Two to four undergraduates at a time will be co-workers on this project, and a priority will be recruiting students from under-represented groups through the AEMES (Achieving Excellence in Math, Engineering, and Science) and Early Mentoring programs at Smith.
Quantifying the photochemistry of these organic hydroperoxides will contribute to the larger body of data relevant for atmospheric studies, in particular predictions of how these molecules contribute to hydroxyl radical formation. The project is designed so undergraduate women gain experience with laser-based experiments and an appreciation of how fundamental photochemistry, spectroscopy, and quantum mechanics are essential to modeling and understanding atmospheric processes.
