MAGNETIC VIBRATIONAL CIRCULAR DICHROISM STUDIES OF SELECTED SMALL MOLECULES

Baoliang Wang

Abstract

        Magnetic vibrational circular dichroism (MVCD) studies have been extended to gas phase small molecules where both the molecular rotational and vibrational Zeeman effect can be measured. MVCD has been established as an alternate technique to determine the molecular Zeeman effect by calibrating this technique using carbon monoxide. The application of MVCD technique to selected haloforms leads to the first determination and analysis for the intrinsic vibrational Zeeman effect in the v₄ mode. The MVCD study of methane provided the first experimental evidence for the vibrational Zeeman effect in its v₄ mode via the Coriolis coupling effect.

Overall, MVCD technique, with the easy accessibility to different vibrational excited states for polyatomic molecules, has been established as a potential method to determine the vibrational Zeeman effect.