Physical/Nuclear Chemistry
Research in physical chemistry includes molecular spectroscopy (ESR, electronic, infrared, lasers, NMR, Raman), mass spectrometry, catalysis, surface science, kinetics, equilibria, molecular beams and supersonic jets, thermochemistry, theoretical chemistry, matrix isolation, high temperature chemistry, vibrational analysis, absorption processes, environmental technology, solid state chemistry, and catalysis.Student research may involve both the use of standard resolution solid state NMR, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ion scattering spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, ultra-high vacuum chambers equipped with a complete line of surface analytical techniques and much more.
The nuclear chemistry programs are primarily centered at the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute which operates a K500 superconducting cyclotron. This machine delivers many lighter projectiles (e.g., 12C, 16O, 20Ne) at energies as high as 70 MeV/mass unit in stand-alone operation. A new ECR source coupled to the cyclotron allows acceleration of heavier ions such as Ar to energies of 50 MeV/mass unit and Kr or Xe to energies of 20 MeV/mass unit. This provides a variety of beams of great utility for a diverse program of research such as that carried out at Texas A&M.
Batteas, James D
batteas@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B.S., 1990, University of Texas at Austin. Ph.D., 1995, University of California at Berkeley. Postdoctoral Fellow 1995-1996, Harvard University. Physical/Analytical/Materials Chemistry. Nanoscale materials and devices, nanofabrication via self-assembly and scanned probe lithography, molecular and organic electronics, surface chemistry, plant biopolymer surfaces and interfaces, nanotribology of oxides, molecular forces, directed assembly of proteins on surfaces.
Bevan, John W
bevan@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. Sc., 1968, University of Wales. M. Sc., 1970, University of Surrey. Ph. D. 1974, University College London. Postdoctoral Fellow, 1975, Rice University. Postdoctoral Fellow, 1977, University of Montreal. Research Associate, 1977, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Ottawa. Physical Chemistry. High resolution spectroscopy and submillimeter instrumentation. Morphed potentials in non-covalent interactions. Electron-molecule collisions and environmental technology. Non-invasive state-specific molecular diagnostics for lung cancer and other diseases.
Hilty, Christian
chilty@chem.tamu.edu
Associate Professor of Chemistry. Diploma, 1999, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. Ph.D., 2004, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. Postdoctoral Fellow 2004-2006, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Biophysical Chemistry. Protein structure and function, biological membranes, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), NMR methodology.
Laane, Jaan
laane@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. S. 1964, University of Illinois. Ph. D., 1967, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Physical Chemistry. Fourier-transform infrared, laser Raman, and jet-cooled fluorescence spectroscopy; vibrational potential energy functions; matrix isolation spectroscopy; Raman difference spectroscopy; nitrogen-oxygen chemistry; organometallic synthesis; spectroscopic theory and computation.
Lucchese, Robert R
lucchese@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. S., 1977, University of California Berkeley. Ph. D., 1982, California Institute of Technology. NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 1982, Princeton University. Postdoctoral Staff Member, 1983, AT&T Bell Laboratories. Physical Chemistry. Theoretical studies of molecular photoionization and electron molecule scattering; gas-phase cluster collision dynamics; vibrational dynamics of hydrogen bonded molecular complexes.
Natowitz, Joseph B
natowitz@comp.tamu.edu
Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. B. S. 1958, University of Florida. Ph. D., 1965, University of Pittsburgh. Postdoctoral Fellow,1965-67, SUNY at Stony Brook. Nuclear Chemistry. Nuclear reaction mechanisms; thermodynamics of highly excited nuclei, limits to existence of nuclei; the nuclear equation of state; nuclear dynamics.
North, Simon W
north@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. Sc., 1990, University of New Hampshire. Ph. D., 1995, University of California at Berkeley. Postdoctoral Fellow, 1995-1997, Brookhaven National Laboratory. Study of Atmospherically relevant photoinduced reactions and tropospheric oxidation reactions. State-to-state unimolecular reaction dynamics. Development of high resolution laser-based probes of transient species.
Rosynek, Michael P
rosynek@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry and Associate Head. B. S. 1967, M. S., 1969, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Ph. D., 1972, Rice University. Physical Chemistry. Heterogeneous catalysis and solid-state surface chemistry; infrared and electron spectroscopic studies of surfaces and adsorbed species; catalytic and surface properties of metal oxides and oxide-supported metals; application of temperature-programmed methods to characterization of catalysts.
Son, Dong Hee
dhson@chem.tamu.edu
Associate Professor. B.S., 1992, Seoul National University, Korea. M.S., 1994, Seoul National University, Korea. Ph.D., 2002, University of Texas, Austin. Postdoctoral fellow (2002-2005), University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley. Time-resolved spectroscopic study of the energy relaxation, energy transfer and charge transfer processes in semiconductor and magnetic nanoparticles.
Wheeler, Steven E
wheeler@chem.tamu.edu
Assistant Professor of Chemistry. B. A., 2002, New College of Florida. Ph. D., 2006, University of Georgia. NIH Postdoctoral Fellow 2006-2010, University of California, Los Angeles. Computational/Physical/Organic Chemistry. Non-covalent interactions, organocatalysis, computational thermochemistry.
Yeager, Danny L
yeager@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. S., 1968, University of Iowa. Ph. D., 1975, California Institute of Technology. Research Associate, 1975-77, University of Chicago. Physical Chemistry. Theoretical development of methods for studies of atomic and molecular electronic states, electron-molecule scattering; reactive scattering.
Yennello, Sherry J
yennello@chem.tamu.edu
Professor of Chemistry. B. S., 1985, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Ph. D., 1990, Indiana University. Postdoctoral Fellow, 1991-92, Michigan State University. Nuclear Chemistry. Research involves using beams of exotic nuclei to investigate nuclear reaction mechanisms: altering the N/Z of the beam enables the study of isospin equilibrations and effects due to the Coulomb force.
Zhang, Renyi
zhang@ariel.met.tamu.edu
Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and of Chemistry. Ph.D., 1993, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Postdoctoral fellow, 1996, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Research Associate, 1997, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Analytical/physical/environmental/atmospheric chemistry. Kinetics and mechanism of gas-phase and heterogeneous reactions. Laboratory studies of formation, growth, and chemical and physical properties of atmospheric aerosols. Modeling of photochemistry and aerosol chemistry. Atmospheric measurements of trace gas species and aerosols.