Raman spectroscopy enables the research chemist to study the structural features of short-lived electronically excited states of molecules and thus compare these structures with the corresponding ground states. Knowledge of these differences allow the chemist to predict reactivity of molecules in a rational manner. This award from the Chemical Instrumentation Program will aid the Department of Chemistry at Wabash College, a RUI institution, to acquire a Raman spectrometer. The acquisition of the Raman spectrometer will enhance the research opportunities for both faculty and undergraduate students at Wabash College. The opportunities include studies in the following areas of chemistry: 1) Study of the structures of short-lived intermediates containing bonds between transition metals. 2) Study of the structural properties of intermediates formed during the reactions of formyl/transition metal porphyrin complexes.
