The Department of Chemistry at Harvey Mudd College, which is a small undergraduate institution, will use this award from the Chemical Research Instrumentation Program to help acquire a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The areas of chemical research that will be enhanced by the acquisition include the following: 1. The activation and reactions of nitrous oxide, reactions of metal nitrosyl compounds with nitric oxide and oxygen, and reductive denitrosylation reactions. 2. The study of structures of assembled monolayers at surfaces. %%% Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a technique that uses absorption of infrared energy to probe molecular structure. When used in conjunction with a modern computer, FTIR studies on large numbers of samples can be conveniently carried out and the resulting data readily analyzed. The use of FTIR spectroscopy is essential to chemists who are carrying out research in many important frontier areas.
