In a research project supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program, Kenneth S. Suslick of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will investigate the nature and applications of ultrasound in chemical reactivity. Sonochemistry arises from acoustic cavitation, i.e., the form- ation, growth and implosive collapse of bubbles in a liquid. Cavitational collapse produces intense local heating, high pressures and enormous heating and cooling rates. These unusual conditions are useful for investigating a variety of chemical processes and in many cases can lead to enhanced reactivities of as much as 100,000-fold. The specific objectives of the research fall into four areas: (1) mechanistic and spectroscopic probes of cavitation; (2) homogeneous sonochemistry including stoichiometric and catalytic reactions; (3) heterogeneous sonochemistry and the effect of ultrasound on solids; and (4) the synthesis of novel materials such as amorphous metals (metallic glasses) which may show unusual catalytic activity.
