| Gas phase, mass-selected, anion photoelectron spectroscopic studies were performed on a variety of molecular systems. These studies can be grouped into three main themes: acid-base interactions, solvation, and ions of analytical interest.Acid-base interactions represent some of the most fundamental processes in chemistry. The study of these processes elucidates elementary principles such as inner and outer sphere complexes, hard and soft ions, and salt formation---to name a few. Apart from their appeal from a pedagogical standpoint, the ubiquity of chemical reactions which involve acids, bases or the resulting salts makes the study of their fundamental interactions both necessary and fruitful.With this in mind, the neutral and anionic series (NH3···HX) (X= F, Cl, Br, I) were examined experimentally and theoretically. The relatively small size of these systems, combined with the advances in computational methods, allowed our experimental results to be compared with very high level ab initio theoretical results. The synergy between theory and experiment yielded an understanding of the nature of the complexes that could not be achieved with either method in isolation.The second theme present in this body or work is molecular solvation. Solvation is a phenomenon which is present in biology, chemistry and physics. Many biological molecules do not become 'active' until they are solvated by water. Thus, the study of biologically relevant species solvated by water is one step in a bottom up approach to studying the biochemical interactions in living organisms. Furthermore, the hydration of acidic molecules in the atmosphere is what drives the formation of 'free' protons or hydronium ions which are the key players in acid driven chemistry. Here are presented two unique solvation studies, Adenine(H2O)-n and C6F6(H2O)-n, these systems are very distinct, but show somewhat similar responses to hydration.The last theme presented in this work is the electronic properties of molecules relevant to analytical chemistry, or more specifically, Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Interaction (MALDI) chemistry. For the first time electron affinities are presented for many of the common MALDI matrix compounds. |
