This award from the Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF) Program and the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program will enable the Department of Chemistry at Florida State University to acquire a time-resolved spectrometer based on a titanium:sapphire laser. This system will provide new capabilities for greater time resolution, a wide range of sample excitation wavelengths, and the recording of transient absorption spectra into the ultraviolet. Research will focus on condensed phase studies, including a) probing photoinduced phenomena in organic molecules in solution; b) excitation dynamics in complex molecular systems; c) probing photochemical reaction mechanisms in the femtosecond time domain; and d) photophysical and photochemical processes in metal/silica solids. The laser system is an extremely versatile spectrometer that can be used to accomplish numerous photophysical and photochemical studies. The faculty will be able to probe extremely fundamental processes, and these studies will yield information not previously attainable.
