This grant is in the general area of analytical and surface chemistry and in the subfield of mass spectrometric studies of gas phase metal ion molecule chemistry. Professor Ben S. Freiser will study new methods for the production and characterization of the reactions taking place between metal ions and organic molecules in the gas phase, using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The results of these studies will advance the means to describe the relationship between the chemistry of small metal clusters (groups of a few atoms) and organic species. This is of relevance to photographic processes, catalysis, atmospheric chemistry and processing in microelectronics. Continuation of previous work will include the development of a new pulsed supersonic ion source for creation and studies of cluster ions of particular stabilities. Studies of mixed metal dimers and trimers reacting with simple hydrocarbons will be extended to more complicated cluster species as they can be produced in the laser vaporization/supersonic expansion source. Thermodynamic stabilities (i.e. so-called endothermic reactions thresholds) will be determined for particular metal cluster-hydrocarbon reactions, for example hydrogen abstraction, with the FTMS as the coincident detector of multiple products. This latter feature is an important point in the study of these reactions.
