| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S94896/01 |
| Title: |
Optically detected low-field EPR |
| Principal Investigator: |
Hore, Professor PJ |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Oxford Chemistry |
| Organisation: |
University of Oxford |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 April 2004 |
Ends: |
31 March 2007 |
Value (£): |
154,567
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Analytical Science |
Gas & Solution Phase Reactions |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Free radicals - highly_ reactive short-lived molecular fragments containing a single unpaired electron - are usually created in pairs in a well-defined electronic state, either singlet (antiparallel electron spins) or triplet (parallel spins). The yields of radical pair reaction products can be modulated by applying an external static magnetic field because (a) the coherent interconversion of the singlet and triplet states is controlled entirely by magnetic interactions and (b) the electron spin correlation determines the chemical fate of the pair (e.g. geminate recombination is usually-only-possible for the singlet state).With EPSRC funding (GR/M11332/01), we have recently built the first state-of-the-art optically detected zero field EPR spectrometer. based on the principle that radical pair reactions are also sensitive to weak radiofrequency fields, and have used it to study a variety of photo-induced electron transfer reactions.We propose to improve the sensitivity and information content of this technique by applying, in addition to the weak radiofrequency field, a weak static magnetic field. The resulting increase in signal strength (observed in preliminary experiments) will allow a wider range of chemical reactions to be investigated in greater detail. In addition, the sensitivity of radical recombination reactions to the polarization of the radiofrequency field will be explored and exploited. These studies will also afford a more complete understanding of the effects of weak fields, comparable in intensity to the Earth's magnetic field, on chemical reactions. In parallel, the theory of such magnetic field effects will be developed to allow detailed simulation and interpretation of experimental spectra.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ox.ac.uk |