In this project in the Experimental Physical Chemistry program of the Chemistry Division, Richard N. Zare will obtain quantum-state specific information on the dynamics of elementary gas-phase chemical reactions using molecular beam and laser spectroscopic methods. The planned experiments will provide the complete three-dimensional velocity distribution of the reaction products as well as the state-to-state differential reaction cross sections. Reagents will be prepared in individual rovibronic states using tunable infrared radiation or stimulated Raman pumping. Molecular and atomic products will be detected in specific quantum states, enabling the observations to be compared with calculations. %%% In order to obtain detailed information on chemical reactions, the experiments in this project will use molecular beam techniques as a means of isolating molecules and investigating reactive encounters one collision at a time. Laser techniques, on the other hand, permit the reacting species to be prepared with very specific amounts of energy and spatial orientation, and they also allow the products to be interrogated for their energy content and orientation. Such data enable chemists to understand how reactions occur by relating the experimental observations with precise calculations which describe the forces experienced by reagents and products during a chemical transformation. The interplay between theory and experiment will eventually allow chemists to predict the products of any chemical reaction as well as to understand how to cause a reaction to be more efficient or yield different products.
