This research, part of the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, utilizes laser based spectroscopies to investigate the reactions between first row transition metal atoms, dimers, and trimers with various oxidants. Also, the reactions of carbon monoxide entrained metal atoms with oxidants like ozone or the halogens will be surveyed. The goals of this work will be to establish reaction energetics and to obtain electronic structure information about the molecules involved in these reactions. Completion of this project is expected to provide new data which will offer new insights into the dynamics of metal surface oxidation and catalytic oxidation processes. A combination of chemiluminescent probes and mass spectrometry will be used to explore the dynamics of metal cluster oxidation, to establish optical signatures for the metal cluster oxides and halides, and to study the electronic structure of transition metal clusters. A high flux continuous flow metal entrainment source will be employed. In addition, the possibility of using a continuous-flow metal supersonic expansion or a laser vaporization based pulsed cluster source will be explored.