In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Michael C. Heaven of Emory University and his post-doctoral, undergraduate and graduate research students will investigate (1) unusual bonding mechanisms and (2) intra-cluster reactions via a variety of spectroscopic methods. The ultimate aim of the former studies is to develop a better understanding of some compounds that exhibit modes of bonding that are not well-characterized in terms of conventional models while that for the latter is to investigate the ability to prealign reactants.
The results from these studies will help chemists to develop a deeper understanding of bonding that encompasses the traditional models of bonding as well as the unusual interactions that are one of the themes of the present study. Both research projects will provide the young researchers working on them with significant exposure to advanced experimental and theoretical methods.
