Annual Scientific Report 2016

THE UNIT IN 2016

The Spectroscopy and Kinetics Unit provides ICIQ researchers with technical support in different spectroscopic techniques as well as in kinetic reaction mechanisms studies. The Unit also gives support in monitoring reactions and fitting of the kinetic data.

In 2016, Freeze Quench accessory for SFM 300 Bio-logic stopped flow was acquired and installed. Freeze Quench is used to study full and intermediate kinetics by trapping reaction intermediates whose presence has been determined by stopped-flow experiments.

This accessory that is coupled to the Bio-logic stopped flow mixing system allows freezing of a reaction at a specific reaction time controlled by the flow speed of the mixing system.

The reaction is aged for a user-defined time inside the calibrated ageing loops. A built-in ejection nozzle at the exit of the ageing loop sprays the aged solution towards the dewar. A diverting electrovalve between the nozzle and dewar allows the user to program a pre-washing phase. The dewar is filled with a cryogenic bath of Pentane/liquid Nitrogen (freezing time 10 ms).

We have installed and tuned up the collection system to measure samples by EXAFS in a syncrothron and also by Raman.

Another setup to be hightlighted in 2016, is the adaptation and optimization of a spectroelectrochemical cell (omnicell Specac) to measure reduced/oxidized species in the Lambda 1050 UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer to be able to identify intervalence bands that usually appear in the Near Infrared region. The potential was applied with a VSP potentiostat from Bio-Logic.

We would like to highlight in general, the increase of solid samples to be measured and also the increase of the samples measured by Raman and by fluorescence techniques, both steady state and life time.