In this project in the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program, Scott Anderson of the University of Utah will study the reaction dynamics of simple polyatomic ions using reactant vibrational mode selection and high resolution ion beam techniques. Systems which will be investigated include the reactions of water ions with hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and water molecules, and the reaction of nitrous oxide ions with carbon monoxide molecules. These studies will include the development of pulsed field ionization techniques to produce vibrational state selectivity in the reactant ions. This work will advance the understanding of the vibrational mode dependence of reaction mechanisms, and the manner in which reactant energy is partitioned into product states. This work is expected to provide benchmarks for further theoretical work on these systems. The amount and nature of vibrational energy in a reactant molecule can cause dramatic changes in the relative amounts of different products of chemical reactions. Professor Anderson's work will determine how this vibrational energy will affect the products of several ion molecule reactions. The results of this work will provide information on methods of controlling chemical reactions to produce a single product to the exclusion of other unwanted products.
