Arthur Suits Title Professor Division Physical Education B.S., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1986 Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 1991. Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell University, 1991-1993. Office Chem 77 Phone (313)577-9008 E-Mail Group suitsmac.chem.wayne.edu/~r4/asweb/public_html/suitsgroup

Chemical reaction dynamics and chemical physics. Quantum-state resolved and universal ion imaging techniques; new directions in mass spectrometry; astrochemistry; combustion and atmospheric chemistry. B.S. Chemistry 1986, University of Missouri-Columbia. Ph.D. Chemistry, 1991, University of California-Berkeley. Post-doc 1991-1993, Cornell University.

Our work exploits sophisticated experimental and theoretical techniques to seek answers to fundamental questions about the detailed dynamics of chemical events: What are the primary products in a given reaction or photochemical process? What quantum states are produced? Which part of a molecule is most reactive? How does that change with collision energy, or temperature? What approach geometries are important? Where does the energy go in a reaction? How is the angular momentum distributed in the products? Answers to these questions allow us to sharpen our chemical intuition and extrapolate from laboratory measurements to extreme environments such as combustion, interstellar clouds or the atmospheres of distant planets. Our research is directed along several lines, all of which take advantage of the powerful velocity map imaging technique to provide a detailed picture of a reaction or photodissociation event. Our particular interests in these studies are: to explore the role of radicals and excited states in chemistry; to investigate chemical reactivity in quantum mechanical detail; to explore the dynamics of reactions involving multiple electronic states and the role of nonadiabatic processes in reaction; and to develop new techniques to extend the range of chemical dynamics methods. Our work is currently active in a number of areas:

High resolution photochemistry: Recent progress in our lab has shown a new "roaming"mechanism in the decomposition of energized molecules that challenges the assumptions of conventional transition state theory. Ongoing work is devoted to exploring other examples of this phenomenon and examining its energy dependence. We also use imaging methods to examine atomic orbital polarization in photodissociation, a powerful probe of electronic rearrangements as chemical bonds are made and broken. New directions include photochemical studies directed to understanding the growth of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of Saturn's moon, Titan.

State-resolved and universal reactive scattering. Crossed-beam methods allow one to examine chemical reactions in unprecedented detail. We combine universal single-photon ionization with state- resolved slice imaging probes to achieve direct insight into reactive collisions.

Vibrationally- and conformationally-mediated photodissociation. We have developed a unique reflectron multimass imaging apparatus that is opening the door to new studies in controlled dissociation of ions. Along parallel lines, we are pursuing the development of new approaches to tandem mass spectrometry relying on electrostatic ion traps for proteomics applications.

W. Li, C. Huang, M. Patel, D. Wilson and A. G. Suits, "State-Resolved Reactive Scattering by Slice Imaging: A New View of the Cl⁺C₂H₆ Reaction," J. Chem. Phys. 124, 011102 (2006).

M. H. Kim, B. D. Leskiw, L. Shen and A. G. Suits, "Velocity map imaging mass spectrometry" Int. J. Mass Spec. 252, 73 (2006).

D. Townsend, W. Li, S. K. Lee, R. L. Gross and A. G. Suits, "Universal and State-resolved imaging of chemical dynamics," (Feature article) J. Phys. Chem. A, 109, 8661 (2005) 10.1021/jp0526086.

S. K. Lee, D. Townsend, O. S. Vasyutinskii and A. G. Suits, "O(1D) orbital orientation in the ultraviolet photodissociation of ozone," Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 7, 1650 (2005). (Cover article).

D. Townsend, S. A. Lahankar, S. K. Lee, S. D. Chambreau, A. G. Suits, X. Zhang, J. Rheinecker, L.B. Harding and J. M. Bowman, "The roaming hydrogen atom: Straying from the reaction path in formaldehyde decomposition," Science 306, 1158 (2004).