The Electronic Transitions Of Molecular Oxygen

This book presents the fundamentals and the state of the art of the photophysics of molecular oxygen. The author examines optical transitions between the lowest-lying electronic states in molecular oxygen and how these transitions respond to perturbation, either from an organic molecule or from the plasmon field of a metal nanoparticle. We live on a planet filled with light and oxygen. The interaction between these two components forms the basis of excited state chemistry spanning the fields of synthetic organic chemistry, materials chemistry, molecular biology, and photodynamic treatment of cancer. Still, the fundamental ways in which oxygen is affected by light is an active subject of research and is continually being developed and rationalized. In this book, readers will learn that singlet oxygen, the excited state of oxygen that exhibits unique chemical reactivity, can be selectively made via direct optical excitation of oxygen in a sensitizer-free system. Readers will also discover that this approach can perturb living cells differently depending on the singlet oxygen “dose”.

This book is the latest to appear in a series documenting the progress of this exciting field in surface science. It presents recent results and reviews of the rapidly growing field of interaction of particles and lasers with solid surfaces leading to excitation, ionisation and desorption. The main emphasis is on the microscopic understanding of DIET, especially electron- and ion-induced desorption of adsorbed layers, emission from insulators, laser-induced desorption and ablation, photophysics and photochemistry. Applications ranging from laser ablation for medical purposes to DIET in high-temperature superconductors are also described.

The NATO Advanced Study Institute on “Sensors for Environment, Health and Security: Advanced Materials and Technology” was held in Vichy (France) on September 16–27, 2007 where more than 65 participants, ranging from Ph. D. students to experienced senior scientists, met and exchanged ideas and know-how in a friendly atmosphere. The present book intends to cover the main topics of this NATO ASI through 32 chapters distributed over two parts (Part I: “Materials and Technologies” and Part II: “Applications to Environment, Health and Security”). The scientific programme of the NATO ASI consisted in 28 1-hour lectures given by 14 invited lecturers, 5 additional 1-hour lectures given by seminar speakers, 22 oral presentations by selected ASI participants and a poster session. The programme was divided into four sessions: (1) Advanced materials and technologies; (2) Sensors for environment; (3) Sensors for health; (4) Sensors for security. During the “Advanced Materials and Technologies” session (Part I of the present book), the lectures were dedicated to critical analyses of current methods for the synthesis of materials, nanomaterials (nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, ...) and nanocomposites to be used for the fabrication of sensing devices, mainly semiconductor sensors. Among the synthesis methods, chemical (sol-gel, etc. ) and physical methods (laser deposition, DC magnetron sputtering, etc. ) were discussed. Several lectures addressed characterization techniques and it was concluded that the physical and chemical control of the materials/nanomaterials, including surface chemistry, remains a key issue for the reproducibility of the final device.

The book summarizes international progress over the last few decades in upper atmosphere airglow research. Measurement methods, theoretical concepts and empirical models of a wide spectrum of upper atmospheric emissions and their variability are considered. The book contains a detailed bibliography of studies related to the upper atmosphere airglow. Readers will also benefit from a lot of useful information on emission characteristics and its formation processes found the book.

A concise textbook bridging quantum theory and spectroscopy! Designed as a practical text, Quantum Mechanical Foundations of Molecular Spectroscopy covers the quantum mechanical fundamentals of molecular spectroscopy from the view of a professional spectroscopist, rather than a theoretician. Written by a noted expert on the topic, the book puts the emphasis on the relationship between spectroscopy and quantum mechanics, and provides the background information and derivations of the subjects needed to understand spectroscopy including: stationary energy states, transitions between these states, selection rules, and symmetry. The phenomenal growth of all forms of spectroscopy over the past eight decades has contributed enormously to our understanding of molecular structure and properties. Today spectroscopy covers a broad field including the modern magnetic resonance techniques, non-linear, laser and fiber-based spectroscopy, surface and surface-enhanced spectroscopy, pico- and femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy, and many more. This up-to-date resource discusses several forms of spectroscopy that are used in many fields of science, such as fluorescence, surface spectroscopies, linear and non-linear Raman spectroscopy and spin spectroscopy. This important text: Contains the physics and mathematics needed to understand spectroscopy Explores spectroscopic methods the are widely used in chemistry, biophysics, biology, and materials science Offers a text written by an experienced lecturer and practitioner of spectroscopic methods Includes detailed explanations and worked examples Written for chemistry, biochemistry, material sciences, and physics students, Quantum Mechanical Foundations of Molecular Spectroscopy provides an accessible text for understanding molecular spectroscopy.

Meeting the desire for a comprehensive book that collects and curates the vast amount of knowledge gained in the field of singlet oxygen, this title covers the physical, chemical and biological properties of this reactive oxygen species and also its increasingly important applications across chemical, environmental and biomedical areas.The editors have a long and distinguished background in the field of singlet oxygen chemistry and biomedical applications, giving them a unique insight and ensuring the contributions attain the highest scientific level.The book provides an up to date reference resource for both the beginner and experienced researcher and crucially for those working across disciplines such as photochemistry, photobiology and photomedicine.