This research project, supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, explores the dynamics of adsorbate photofragmentation and photoreaction on platinum single crystal surfaces. Both UHV surface science techniques as well as laser spectroscopic methods will be used to provide detailed information about the process of photoinduced reactions on solid surfaces. The restricted geometry and energy range probed in these surface aligned photoreactions may provide a general understanding of chemical reaction dynamics, and will challenge our present understanding of reaction processes at solid surfaces. %%% The reaction between adsorbed molecules initiated by the absorption of light will be used as a general probe of the dynamics of chemical reactions. The insight gained from these studies will increase our understanding of surface reactions in particular, and molecular reaction chemistry in general. In addition, there may be benefits to the understanding of important surface catalyzed reaction processes.
