An understanding of transient intermediates, such as radicals, ion radicals, and carbenes, is vital for a thorough understanding of reactions and reaction mechanisms in physical, organic, and biochemistry. The ability to study these short-lived intermediate by laser transient absorption spectroscopy allows for a greater understanding of these important species. This project provides a solid state Nd:YAG-pumped OPO laser system and the necessary equipment to set up a transient absorption system. The equipment can be used in the undergraduate advanced organic and physical chemistry laboratories to familiarize the students with modern laser technology and to generate, characterize, and study transient species. In addition to transient absorption measurements, the laser system can be used to generate steady-state populations of transient species for study by EPR spectroscopy. *
