Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy gives the chemical investigator a powerful tool to probe systems as diverse as matrix-isolated nucleic acids and metal clusters. When combined with a magnetic field, the technique can be used to obtain detailed information about the electronic and magnetic properties of individual clusters. This award from the Chemistry Shared Instrumentation Program will be used by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida to help acquire a spectroscopic system consisting of a vacuum FTIR/Raman spectrometer and a superconducting magnet. The acquisition will enhance the research being conducted in the following areas of chemistry: 1) Far-infrared studies in magnetic fields using FTIR and ESR 2) Magnetic circular and linear dichroism in the infrared 3) Nucleic acid bases and their interactions.
