Chemical physicists investigate the structure and dynamics of
ions,
free radicals,
polymers,
clusters, and
molecules. Their research includes studying the quantum mechanical aspects of chemical reactions, solvation processes, and the energy flow within and between molecules, and nanomaterials such as quantum dots. Experiments in chemical physics typically involve using spectroscopic methods to understand
hydrogen bonding,
electron transfer, the formation and dissolution of
chemical bonds, chemical reactions, and the formation of
nanoparticles. The research objectives in the theoretical aspect of chemical physics are to understand how chemical structures and reactions work at the quantum mechanical level. This field also aims to clarify how ions and radicals behave and react in the gas phase and to develop precise approximations that simplify the computation of the physics of chemical phenomena. Chemical physicists are looking for answers to such questions as: • Can we experimentally test quantum mechanical predictions of the vibrations and rotations of simple molecules? Or even those of complex molecules (such as
proteins)? • Can we develop more accurate methods for calculating the electronic structure and properties of molecules? • Can we understand chemical reactions from first principles? • Why do quantum dots start
blinking (in a pattern suggesting
fractal kinetics) after absorbing
photons? • How do chemical reactions really take place? • What is the step-by-step process that occurs when an isolated molecule becomes solvated? Or when a whole ensemble of molecules becomes solvated? • Can we use the properties of negative ions to determine molecular structures, understand the dynamics of chemical reactions, or explain
photodissociation? • Why does a stream of
soft x-rays knock enough
electrons out of the
atoms in a
xenon cluster to cause the cluster to explode? ==Journals==