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Summary of Research Interests
The purpose of our research is to obtain new basic
knowledge of the chemical properties and kinetic behavior of
gas-phase polyatomic free radicals. A special experimental
facility has been developed to generate these unstable
intermediates under controlled conditions by laser photolysis
and to detect them in time-resolved experiments using
photoionization mass spectrometry. This facility is being used
to study many classes of elementary reactions of polyatomic
free radicals including ones which are steps in complex
processes of considerable importance. For example, our
investigations include studies of free-radical reactions which
are important in high-temperature combustion processes (e. g.,
C2H5 + O2), reactions of chlorine-containing radicals that are
important in atmospheric chemistry (e. g., CH2Cl + O) and
elementary reactions involved in chemical vapor deposition
processes (e. g., SiH3 + O2). When possible, the experimental
data obtained on these reactions is integrated with modern
theories of chemical reactivity to help us better understand
the nature of these processes and to extrapolate the results
of our studies to conditions used in actual industrial
processes or planetary conditions. The new knowledge being
obtained on the chemical kinetics of these and other
elementary reactions is being used to better understand the
overall processes in which they are involved as well as to
improve these processes when this is possible.
Selected Publications
"Kinetics of the Unimolecular Decomposition of
iso-C3H7: Weak Collision Effects in Helium, Argon and
Nitrogen." Seakins, P. W.; Robertson, S. H.; Pilling, M.
J.; Slagle, I. R.; Gmurczyk, G. W.; Bencsura, A.; Gutman, D.;
Tsang, W. J. Phys. Chem. 1993, 97, 4450.
"Kinetics and Thermochemistry of the Oxidation of
Unsaturated Radicals: C4H5 + O2." Slagle, I. R.; Bencsura,
A.; Xing S.-B.; Gutman, D. Sym. (Int.) Combust. [Proc] 1992,
24th, 653.
"Kinetics of the Reaction Between Oxygen Atoms and
Propargyl Radicals." Slagle, I. R.; Gmurczyk, G. W.; Batt,
L.; Gutman, D. Sym. (Int.) Combust. [Proc] 1991, 23rd, 115.
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