Dr. Micheal A. Duncan is supported by a grant from the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program to study gas phase laser vaporization using beams of molecules. These experiments investigate unusual atomic arrangements which can give rise to previously unknown chemical bonds which, in turn, may well allow the production of highly efficient molecular energy stores. Ionized clusters of the lighter main group elements (C, Si, Al, etc.) are prepared in supersonic molecular beams using the technique of pulsed nozzle laser vaporization. Similar methods are used to synthesize metal containing ion-molecule complexes. These jet cooled species are size-selected in a specially designed reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer system. Wavelength dependent visible and/or ultraviolet laser photodissociation spectroscopy provides a probe of electronic, vibrational and rotational levels in these systems. These novel experiments investigate cluster electronic and geometric structure, photochemical dissociation channels, and excited state dynamics, providing significant new tests of fundamental bonding principles.
