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MO: Fachverband Molekülphysik

MO 26: Poster: Biomolecules

MO 26.1: Poster

Thursday, March 17, 2011, 16:00–18:00, P2

Isomerization dynamics of conformer-selected molecules — •Melanie Schnell — Max-Planck-Advanced Study Group at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, D-22607 Hamburg — Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, D-69117 Heidelberg

Isomerization reactions are a fundamental class of chemical transformations that are omnipresent in many areas of molecular science. Many molecules, such as amino acids or small sugars, exhibit multiple structural isomers, which are distinct species with individual physical and chemical properties. A detailed understanding of their isomerization dynamics will help us to gain better insight into important processes in chemistry and biology, such as molecular recognition.

Novel broadband rotational spectroscopy allows for recording spectra with widths of up to 11 GHz in a single measurement. This opens the door to new directions of rotational spectroscopy, such as dynamic rotational spectroscopy - a novel way to study conformational isomerizations of highly vibrationally excited complex molecules on the picosecond time scale. We are currently setting up a new experiment based on conformer selection using an electrostatic deflector and on broadband rotational spectroscopy to investigate the isomerizations of small sugars, amino acids and their complexes with picosecond resolution. On the poster, I will present this new technique and report on the present status of the experiment, its prospects and challenges.