Directory: Faculty

Jennifer S. Shumaker-Parry

Peter B. Armentrout

PHYSICAL & ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

Distinguished Professor

B.S. Case Western Reserve University, 1975
Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, 1980 
Postdoctoral, Bell Labs, 1981. 

Phone: (801) 581-7885

Office: 3402 HEB-S

Email: armentrout@chemistry.utah.edu

Armentrout Research Group Site

Publications

Activities & Awards

  • Presidential Young Investigator, National Science Foundation, 1984-89
  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 1986-1990
  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, 1987-1992
  • Fellow, AAAS, 1992; APS, 1994; JSPS, 1999
  • Buck-Whitney Award, ACS Eastern New York Section, 1993
  • University of Utah Distinguished Research Award, 1994
  • Mack Memorial Award Lecturer, Ohio State University, Dept. of Chem.
  • Biemann Medal, Am. Soc. Mass Spectrometry, 2001
  • Utah Award of Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2002
  • Cannon Fellow, Chemistry Department, University of Utah, 2003-present
  • Editorial Board: current, J. Chem. Phys., J. Phys. Chem., Int. J. Mass Spectrometry, formerly, J. American Chemical Society, Organometallics, J. American Society of Mass Spectrometry; J. Cluster Science

Research Interests

Our research provides a detailed understanding of the thermochemistry, kinetics, and dynamics of simple and complex chemical reactions. Our group seeks to understand, from a fundamental viewpoint, reactions involved in catalysis, surface chemistry, organometallic chemistry, and plasma chemistry. Techniques involved include mass spectrometry, ion beams, molecular beams, laser spectroscopy, and ab initio theory.

Chemistry of state-selected atomic metal ions.  Transition metals have an abundance of low-lying electronic states that we have shown for 1st-row metals can have very different reactivity. We have recently developed a novel ion mobility source that should permit such studies to be extended to the 2nd- and 3rd- row metals where spin-orbit interactions become important.

Chemistry of unsaturated organometallic complexes. By varying the number and types of ligands attached to metal ions, we study periodic trends, the influence of ligand substitution, and the effects of metal oxidation state on reactivity.  These studies provide quantitative thermodynamic data and qualitative electronic information on unsaturated organometallic complexes: the key intermediates in homogeneous catalysis.

Chemistry of solvated ions.  Gas-phase solvated ions are important species in the atmosphere and in aerosols and provide a bridge between phenomena in condensed phases and the gas phase. Detailed experiments on such species yield quantitative information that cannot be obtained easily in the condensed phase.

Thermochemistry of metal ions interacting with biological molecules. We have begun studies of metal ions bound to molecules of biological relevance.  Our work includes some of the first measurements of the binding energies of Li+, Na+ and K+ with the nucleic acid bases and amino acids. The recent addition of electrospray ionization aids these efforts.

Thermochemistry of metal ions interacting with biological molecules

Chemistry of metal cluster ions. Laser vaporization, supersonic expansion techniques generate cold transition metal cluster ions that can be size-selected using mass spectrometry. We measure the thermodynamic stabilities of these clusters and their reactivity with a variety of molecules. These studies provide quantitative data relevant to surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis.

Laser spectroscopy.  In collaboration with Prof. M.D. Morse, we are using resonantly enhanced multi-photon (REMP) laser spectroscopy coupled with pulsed field ionization (PFI or ZEKE) spectroscopy to study small transition metal cluster ions and ligated metal ions. 

Environmental chemistry.  A long standing interest has involved an investigation of the thermochemistry of systems having potential importance in the clean up of nuclear waste sites.

Threshold behavior: theory and experiment.  A theoretical understanding of the kinetic energy dependence of reaction cross sections is in its infancy. We are developing theoretical models that include application of statistical theories, reaction dynamics, and non-adiabatic effects.

Ab initio theory. We consistently apply ab initio theory to provide structures, molecular parameters, and bond energies for use in the analysis and interpretation of our experimental results.

topSelected Publications

  • "Heats of Formation of Co(CO)2NOPR3, R = CH3 and C2H5, and Its Ionic Fragments” Gengeliczki, Z.; Sztáray, B.; Baer, T.; Iceman, C.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9393-9402.
  • "Guided Ion Beam Studies of the Reactions of Con+ (n = 2 - 20) with O2: Cobalt Cluster-Oxide and Dioxide Bond Energies” Liu, F.; Li, F.-X.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Chem. Phys. 2005, 123, 064304-1-15.
  • "Sequential bond energies of Fe+(CO2)n, n = 1 – 5, determined by threshold collision-induced dissociation and ab initio theory” Armentrout, P. B.; Koizumi, H.; McKenna, M. J. Phys. Chem A, 2005, 109, 11365-11375.
  • "Gas-phase thermochemistry of the early cationic transition-metal sulfides of the second row: YS + , ZrS+, and NbS+” Kretzschmar, I.; Schröder, D.; Schwarz, H.; Armentrout, P. B. Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 2006, 249–250, 263–278.
  • "Thermochemistry of the Activation of N2 on Iron Cluster Cations: Guided ion beam studies of the reactions of Fen+ (n = 1 - 19) with N2” Tan, L.; Liu, F.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Chem. Phys., 2006, 124, 084302-1-14.
  • "The Special Five-Membered Ring of Proline: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Alkali Metal Cation Interactions with Proline and Its Four- and Six-Membered Ring Analogues” Moision, R. M.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 3933-3946.
  • "Sequential Bond Energies of Water to Sodium Proline Cation” Ye, S. J.; Moision, R. M.; Armentrout, P. B. Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2006, 253, 288-304.
  • "Activation of CH4 by gas-phase Mo+ and the thermochemistry of Mo-ligand complexes” Armentrout, P. B. J. Phys. Chem A 2006, 110, 8327-8338.
  • "Thermochemistry of the Activation of N2 on Iron Cluster Cations: Guided ion beam studies of the reactions of Fen+ (n = 1 - 19) with N2” Tan, L.; Liu, F.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Chem. Phys., 2006, 124, 084302-1-14.
  • “Activation of Methane by Gold Cations: Guided Ion Beam and Theoretical Studies” Li, F.-X., Armentrout, P. B. J. Chem. Phys., 2006, 125, 133114-1-13.
  • “An Electrospray Ionization Source for Thermochemical Investigation with the Guided Ion Beam Mass Spectrometer” Moision, R. M.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2007, 18, 1124-1134.
  • “Statistical Modeling of Sequential Collision-Induced Dissociation Thresholds” Armentrout, P. B. J. Chem. Phys. 2007, 126, 234302-1-9.
  • “Ion Mobility Studies of Electronically Excited States of Atomic Transition Metal Cations: Development of an Ion Mobility Source for Guided Ion Beam Experiments” Iceman, C.; Rue, C.;  Moision, R. M.; Chatterjee, B. K.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. (D. E. Clemmer Biemann Issue), 2007, 18, 1196–1205.
  • “Binding Energies for the Inner Hydration Shells of Ca2+:  An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Ca2+(H2O)x complexes (x = 5 – 9)” Carl, D. R.; Moision, R. M.; Armentrout, P. B. Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 2007, 265, 308–325.
  • “A Critical Evaluation of the Experimental and Theoretical Determination of Lithium Cation Affinities” Rodgers; M. T.; Armentrout, P. B. Int. J. Mass Spectrom., 2007, 267, 167-182.
  • “Activation of C2H6 and C3H8 by gas-phase Mo+: Thermochemistry of Mo-ligand complexes” Armentrout, P. B. Organometallics, 2007, 26, 5473-5485.
  • “Activation of C2H6 and C3H8 by gas-phase Mo+: Potential energy surfaces and reaction mechanisms” Armentrout, P. B. Organometallics, 2007, 26, 5486-5500.
  • “Experimental and Theoretical Studies of the Activation of Methane by
    Ta+ and the Bond Energies of Ta+-CHx (x = 1 – 3)” Parke, L. G.; Hinton,C. S.; Armentrout, P. B. J. Phys. Chem. C, 2007, 111, 17773-17787.