Speaker
Description
Bromoform (CHBr3) is a natural compound whose UV photodissociation products contribute to ozone depletion in the Earth’s atmosphere. Ultrafast electron diffraction is used to study atomic rearrangements in isolated and in solvated bromoform molecules after 267 nm excitation. The gas phase study provides the first experimental visualization of a long-predicted ultrafast isomerization channel. The rate-of-formation, lifetime, and predominant yield, relative to a previously observed direct dissociation channel, challenge state-of-the-art theories (JACS 2024, 146, 28070, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c07165). More recently, a liquid phase UED study has been performed on bromoform solvated in 1-propanol to test and refine previously reported, solvent-mediated UV reaction mechanisms. Parallels and differences between the observed gas- and solution-phase dynamics will be discussed.
