This starter grant award to the University of California at Los Angeles supports the research of Professor Benjamin J. Schwartz. The theme of the research is ultrafast studies of condensed phase chemical reactivity. Both experimental and theoretical studies explore the details of solute-solvent coupling in different charge-transfer-to-solvent systems, particularly alkali metal anion systems. Experiments take advantage of the newest generation of solid-state ultrafast lasers, allowing direct one-photon excitation of the charge-transfer-to-solvent band in the iodide system, for example. Spectral studies in both the ultraviolet and infrared wavelength regimes will distinguish between the various physical pictures proposed for charge-transfer-to solvent. Additional studies varying the solvent, the ion, and the excitation conditions will provide an essentially complete understanding of the dynamics important in these reactions. This research will advance the fundamental understanding of solution phase chemical reactivity through both experimental and theoretical study of solvation dynamics.
