Professor Paul G. Wenthold
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D. in Chemistry, Purdue University, 1995
Postdoctoral Study at University of Colorado at Boulder
Email: pgw@purdue.edu , Phone (765)
494-0475
Research in Physical Organic Chemistry
Mass Spectrometry, Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and the
Investigation of Reaction Mechanisms
Professor Wenthold's research involves the study of the mechanisms of chemical reactions. The different approaches that are utilized in the study of reaction mechanisms fall under three different categories. These are
1) Direct study of the intermediates involved in a chemical reaction. These can include species such as radicals, biradicals, or even transition states. For examples of this category involve studies of silicon p bonds or our studies of the mechanism of the Cope rearrangement.
2) The study of the dynamics of a chemical reaction. This involves the determination of factors that influence the reaction pathway and the product distribution. For example, see our study of the reaction of Li- with H2 (coming soon!)
3) Indirect studies of reaction mechanisms. This involves, for example, using the gas-phase properties to obtain insight into the reaction in the condensed phase. Our studies of metal hydride ions fall under this category.
Most of the studies listed here refer to negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy. A description of the negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy experiment is provided here.
Selected Publications
1. Krouse, I.H. and Wenthold, P.G. Fluorotrimethylsilane Affinities of Anionic Nucleophiles: A Study of Fluoride-Induced Desilylation J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2005, In Press.
2. Goebbert, D.J.; Wenthold, P.G. Water Dimer Proton Affinity from the Kinetic Method: Dissociation Energy of the Water Dimer Eur. J. Mass Spectrom. 2004, In Press.
3. Munsch, T. E., Slipchenko, L. V., Krylov, A. I., Wenthold, P. G. Reactivity and Structure of 5-Dehydro-m-xylylene Anion J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69(17), 5735-5741.
4. Krouse,
5. Slipchenko, L. V.; Munsch, T. E.; Wenthold, P. G.; Krylov, A.I. 5-Dehydro-1,3-quinodimethane: A Hydrocarbon with an Open-Shell Doublet Ground State Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 742-745.
6. Goebbert, D. J.; Liu, X.; Wenthold, P. G. Reactions of Diacetylene Radical Cation with Ethylene J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2004, 15, 114-120.
7. Munsch, T.E.; Wenthold, P. G. Organic Gas-Phase Ion Chemistry Annu. Rep. Prog. Chem., Sect. B 2003, 420-446.
8. Hammad, L. A.; Wenthold, P. G. An Electron-Catalyzed Cope Cyclization. The Structure of 2,5-Dicyano-1,5-Hexadiene Radical Anion in the Gas-Phase J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 10796-10797.
9. Krouse,
10. Wenthold, P. G. A Computational Study of the Electron Affinity of Silene Chem. Phys. Lett. 1998, 297, 445-450.
11. Wenthold, P. G.; Squires, R. R.; Lineberger, W. C. Negative Ion Photoelectron Spectroscopy of the o-, m-, and p-Benzyne Negative Ions. The Electron Affinities and Singlet-Triplet Splittings of o-, m-, and p-Benzyne J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 5279-5290.
12. Wenthold, P. G., Kim, J. B. and Lineberger, W. C. Photoelectron Spectroscopy of m-Xylylene Anion J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 1354-1359.
13. Wenthold, P. G., Hrovat, D., Borden, W. T. and Lineberger, W. C. Transition-State Spectroscopy of Cyclooctatetraene Science, 1996, 272, 1456-1459.
14. Wenthold, P. G., Hu, J., Squires, R. R. and Lineberger, W. C. Photoelectron Spectroscopy of the Trimethylenemethane Negative Ion: the Singlet-Triplet Splitting of Trimethylenemethane J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1996, 118, 475-476.