Office of Research, UC Riverside
Jingsong Zhang
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry Dept
jszhang@ucr.edu
(951) 827-4197


Towards State-to-State Photodissociation Dynamics of Polyatomic Free Radicals: Probing Nonadiabatic Processes and Competitive Pathways

AWARD NUMBER
008432-002
FUND NUMBER
33284
STATUS
Active
AWARD TYPE
3-Grant
AWARD EXECUTION DATE
8/26/2016
BEGIN DATE
9/1/2016
END DATE
8/31/2019
AWARD AMOUNT
$457,875

Sponsor Information

SPONSOR AWARD NUMBER
1566636
SPONSOR
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
SPONSOR TYPE
Federal
FUNCTION
Organized Research
PROGRAM NAME

Proposal Information

PROPOSAL NUMBER
16030293
PROPOSAL TYPE
New
ACTIVITY TYPE
Basic Research

PI Information

PI
Zhang, Jingsong
PI TITLE
Other
PI DEPTARTMENT
Chemistry
PI COLLEGE/SCHOOL
College of Nat & Agr Sciences
CO PIs

Project Information

ABSTRACT

In this project funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanisms program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Jingsong Zhang of the University of California at Riverside investigates the photodissociation dynamics of polyatomic free radicals. Free radicals are important reactive intermediates in many reactive chemical environments. The fundamental knowledge (spectroscopy, energetics, reaction mechanisms, etc.) from this work is valuable to the combustion, atmospheric chemistry, and organic chemistry communities, as well as the theoretical chemistry and physics communities. The broader impacts of this work also include advancing education and training of graduate students, promoting undergraduate research experience of women and underrepresented minority at the University of California at Riverside. The project also includes outreach to a diversified student population of the Riverside and San Bernardino community colleges.

The goal of this research is to provide quantitative understanding of the photo-chemical reactivity of prototypical polyatomic radicals and their nonadiabatic dynamics and competitive pathways at quantum accuracy. The project focuses on several benchmark systems, such as the methyl, ethynyl, and HCO radicals. The H-atom photoproducts of these systems are characterized using the high-resolution, high-sensitivity high-n Rydberg atom time-of-flight (HRTOF) technique as the main experimental tool. This technique provides state-resolved or even state-to-state product energy and angular distributions. These experiments aim to render high-quality data and benchmarks to test high-level quantum mechanical theories of the excited open-shell species.
(Abstract from NSF)