TRANSIENT RAMAN SCATTERING STUDY OF OXIDATION OF WATER BY EXCITED p-BENZOQUINONE
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Date
1982
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Ohio State University
Abstract
We describe an apparatus and techniques for observing resonance Raman spectra of excited states and short-lived reaction intermediates. The comparatively high information content of Raman spectra as compared with electronic absorption spectra produces a kinetic picture that is sensitive to structure. A single 416 nm pulse can excite p-benzoquinone to its lowest triplet state and generate its transient Raman spectrum. Excitation of the triplet by a second photon (at 266 nm) leads to the neutral semiquinone radical spectrum, indicating that the quinone has extracted a hydrogen atom from water. The acid-base equilibrium kinetics of the neutral radical are observed as a time evolution of its spectrum.