Technical Description of Project and Results Supported by ONR N00014-87- K-0546
Abstract
Our scientific goal for the contract focused on investigating how local electronic excitation of a polyatomic molecule can result in selective decomposition channels over other energetically allowed ones. The possibility of inducing bond-selective chemistry following local electronic excitation has, for the most part, eluded study in the past because of the difficulty of detecting reactive primary products. The measurement of product velocity and angular distributions in our newly constructed crossed laser-molecular beam apparatus via a photofragment time-of-flight technique overcame this obstacle and incorporated specific capabilities crucial to elucidating the nonadiabatic transitions which result in particular dissociation pathways. Of central importance in our work described below is our success in understanding and generalizing methods for inducing bond selective chemistry via laser excitation. While Lee and coworkers previously showed that direct laser excitation to an excited potential energy surface repulsive in a specific bond could induce fission of that bond, this technique for inducing bond selective chemistry has not been widely utilized for two reasons.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA236404
Entities
People
- L. J. Butler
Organizations
- University of Chicago