Please choose your delivery country and your customer group
The broad objectives of this IRI project which ran during three years June 2002- May 2005 were the investigations of the spectroscopic properties of boron species their aggregation and reactions in matrices ranging from neon to those doped with hydrogen. The studies of the aggregation properties were hampered by the lack of spectroscopic knowledge on the electronic transitions of the polyatomic boron molecules and their ions. Thus it was clear that their identification at first had to be undertaken in order to proceed on this. The same applies to reactions in hydrogen doped matrices. This was accomplished for B3 and B3-. In addition theoretical predictions for the future studies of the B4 species and its positive and negative ions were completed. The project was initially instigated on the advice and recommendation of Dr.C.W. Larson AFRL Edwards Air Force Base. California. whose continual guidance. suggestions and enthusiasm throughout the project were much appreciated. For the purpose of the spectral identification and characterization of polyatomic boron molecules. a world-wide unique apparatus, combining mass-selection (using a cesium sputter source) with a matrix isolation technique was initially used. backed up by theoretical calculations. The six, 6-month interim reports summarized the experiments undertaken including the unsuccessful ones. Because the electronic spectra of the triatomic boron species were identified in 5 K neon matrices an ambitious project to observe the gas phase spectrum of B3 could also be realized. The project as a whole proved rather successful and productive as evidenced by 5 publications during this three year period in leading journals of chemical physics:.