9357424 Scherer In this National Science Foundation Young Investigator project in the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Norbert Scherer of the University of Pennsylvania will use time-domain spectroscopic techniques to study the role of solvents on chemical reaction dynamics in dense media and at interfaces. New solvent-selective optical and far-infrared (FIR) time-domain techniques will be developed to elucidate solvent involvement in chemical reactions on a molecular level in liquid, supercritical fluid, glass, and biological media. Scanning tunneling microscopy will be used in combination with femtosecond multiple-pulse techniques for the atomic specific detection of chemical processes at interfaces. %%% Through the results of experiments conducted under this research program Scherer will obtain a better understanding on a microscopic level of how molecules collide, exchange energy, and undergo chemical reaction in liquid and fluid media and at interfaces. The information and broader perspective obtained from these studies have the potential for directly observing and controlling chemical processes at the atomic level. This in turn has implications in such diverse areas as nanoscale fabrication of materials and destruction of toxic wastes. ***
