La present tesi doctoral tracta la modelitzacio de diferents estats de la materia: clusters o agregats, superficies i cristalls d'oxids metal.lics. Els metodes disponibles per abordar cada sistema han estat breument descrits, per justificar la seua utilitzacio en diverses aplicacions a materials. Primer, s'han proposat geometries per als agregats de V2O5 cations i neutres en fase gas, i s'han caracteritzat els estats electronics, estructura, espectre de vibracio i enllac quimic. Segon, s'han simulat superficies d'oxids metal.lics i processos d'adsorcio de molecules o atoms metal.lics: CH3OH i O2 sobre SnO2, Cu sobre ZnO. La interaccio adsorbat-superficie te lloc per un mecanisme acid/base, i s'ha caracteritzat la geometria i energia de cada supersistema (mode d'adsorcio, paper dels defectes de superficie). Finalment, s'ha estudiat el cristall de TiO2 en fase anatasa des de multiples punts de vista: descripcio de l'estructura en poliedres, estructura electronica (bandes i densitat d'estats), termodinamic (equacio d'estat) i d'enllac quimic ("Atoms In Molecules"). Les superficies mes estables han estat construides i els efectes de relaxacio avaluats.

The mid-infrared (MIR) spectral range (2-20 m) is particularly useful for chemical sensing due to the excitation of fundamental rotational and vibrational modes. In the fingerprint region (10-20 m), most organic analytes have unique absorption patterns; absorption measurements in this region provide molecule-specific information with high sensitivity. Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) present an ideal light source for (MIR) chemical sensing due to their narrow linewidth, high spectral density, compact size, and ease of fabrication of nearly any MIR wavelength. As the emission wavelength is dependent on layer size within the heterostructure rather than material composition, various wavelengths in the MIR can be achieved through bandstructure engineering. High sensitivity measurements have been achieved in both gas and liquid phase by developing integrated sensing systems. The laser emission frequency is selected to match a strong absorption feature for the analyte of interest where no other interfering bands are located. A waveguide is then developed to fit the application and wavelength used. Gas sensing applications incorporate silica hollow waveguides (HWG) and an OmniGuide fiber (or photonic bandgap HWG). Analyte gas is injected into the hollow core allowing the HWG or OmniGuide to serve simultaneously as a waveguide and miniaturized gas cell. Sensitivities of parts per billion are achieved with a response time of 8 s and a sample volume of approximately 1 mL. Liquid sensing is achieved via evanescent wave measurements with planar waveguides of silver halide (AgX) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). GaAs waveguides developed in this work have a thickness on the order of the wavelength of light achieving single-mode waveguides, providing a significant improvement in evanescent field strength over conventional multimode fibers. Liquid samples of L volume at the waveguide surfaces are detected. QCLs have begun to be utilized as a light source in the MIR regime over the last decade. The next step in this field is the development of compact and highly integrated device platforms which take full advantage of this technology. The sensing demonstrations in this work advance the field towards finding key applications in medical, biological, environmental, and atmospheric measurements.

Rotationally averaged polarizabilities and intrinsic electric dipole moments of sodium clusters are measured and reported. The experimental method is a molecular beam deflection. Our precision is the highest (<5%) and the range of the cluster sizes is the broadest to date (Na₁₀ ∼ Na₃₀₀). Compared to the earlier measurements, our data covers all sizes with no gaps up to the largest cluster. The fine structure in the polarizability curve is previously unobserved. We have carefully ruled out several possible explanations. And we find an earlier existing theory could explain the facts but will lead to magic numbers which were not seen in some previous experiments. A detailed theory is needed to understand the behaviors we see. Intrinsic electric dipole moments (EDM) of sodium clusters are probed to answer the intriguing question: Do metal clusters develop electric dipole moments like molecules? Some theories have predicted the existence of EDM in ground state sodium clusters and gave their magnitudes. We put upper bounds on the EDM of sodium clusters and find that they are orders of magnitude smaller than the predictions. This provokes an interesting question: how can one define metallicity in metal clusters? Our measurements are performed at cryogenic temperature 20 Kelvin. At this temperature the clusters are believed to be in their vibronic ground states.

Radical reactions play central roles in regulating regional air quality and global climate. Some potentially important gas phase radical reactions are being investigated in this research project, including Cl reactions with acetone, butanone, 3-pentanone, pyridine, and dimethyl selenide (DMSe), HO2 complex formation and dissociation with formic and acetic acids, and reactive and non-reactive quenching of O(1D) by the potent greenhouse gases SO2F2, NF3, and SF5CF3. The involved radicals are generated by laser flash photolysis (LFP). Temporal profiles of either the radical reactant or a product are monitored in "real time" using atomic resonance fluorescence spectroscopy (RF), time-resolved UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (TRUVVAS), or tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), allowing kinetic and mechanistic information of these reactions to be obtained. These studies provide new knowledge of the investigated radical reactions and facilitate a better understanding of their significance in atmospheric chemistry.

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A number of weakly bound adducts play important roles in atmospheric chemistry, such as DMS OH and CS2 OH. The work comprising this dissertation involves kinetic and spectroscopic studies of adducts formed between halogen atoms and the important atmospheric trace gases CS2, CH3SCH3 (DMS), CH3I, and C2H5I. The results reported in these studies are useful for developing an understanding of the reactivity of these species and for testing the ability of electronic structure theory and reaction rate theory to predict or rationalize any observed trends. Oxidative pathways of both alkyl halides and sulfur compounds, especially DMS, are of atmospheric interest based on the roles of these species in affecting the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere and in the formation of new particles which impact the Earth s radiation budget and climate variability. The experimental approach employed laser flash photolysis (LFP) coupled with time resolved UV-visible absorption spectroscopy (TRUVVAS) to investigate the spectroscopy and kinetics of the gas phase adducts: SCS Cl, CH3I Cl, C2H5I Cl, (CH3)2S Br, and (CH3)2S I.

Nas últimas décadas, o desenvolvimento das técnicas de ionização à pressão atmosférica impulsionou a espectrometria de massas, na caracterização e elucidação estrutural de compostos de grande massa molecular. O surgimento dessas técnicas foi o responsável pela amplitude nas aplicações e estudos de espectrometria de massas, sendo a ionização por electrospray a mais versátil dentre essas fontes de ionização. O caráter eletrolítico da fonte de ionização por electrospray permite-se obter íons provenientes de três processos químicos: i) ácido-base; ii) redox e iii) complexação. A extensão com que cada um desses processos ocorrerá dependerá de fatores relacionados à operação da fonte de ionização e grandezas termoquímicas do analito. O notável progresso em técnicas experimentais, processamento de dados e integração entre as mais diversas áreas de aplicação da química, tem estimulado e beneficiado a aplicação da química teórica em estudos de reações em fase gasosa. A aplicação da química computacional fornece uma compreensão quantitativa das variações estruturais e energéticas dos possíveis íons formados durante a ionização da amostra, permitindo também a compreensão das possíveis vias de dissociação. É neste sentido, que o sinergismo entre a aplicação de conceitos derivados da química quântica pode auxiliar nas análises de espectrometria de massas. O objetivo desta tese foi o de se aplicar os modelos fundamentados na mecânica quântica para obtenção de grandezas termoquímicas relacionadas aos fenômenos que ocorrem durante as análises de espectrometria de massas por electrospray. Inicialmente, a comparação entre métodos ab initio, modelos compostos e aqueles embasados na teoria do funcional de densidade foram empregados nos cálculos das grandezas termoquímicas para a -butirolactona e 2-pirrolidinona, com a finalidade de se obter parâmetros termoquímicos de alta qualidade. Os modelos compostos G2, G2(MP2), CBS-Q, CBS-QB3 e os métodos B3LYP, B3P86, B98, PW91PW91 e MP2 foram testados. Os valores obtidos para a entalpia de formação, afinidade protônica e basicidade em fase gasosa para essas duas moléculas foram comparados aos dados experimentais disponíveis na literatura. Os melhores resultados para os valores de entalpia de formação foram obtidos ao se empregar o modelo B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p). A afinidade protônica e basicidade em fase gasosa foram mais bem descritas por B3LYP e G2(MP2). Posteriormente, foram estudadas a 1,4-benzoquinona, 1,4-naftoquinona, bem como seus derivados (2-acetilamina-1,4-naftoquinona; 2-propionilamina-1,4-naftoquinona; 2-butirilamina-1,4-naftoquinona, 2-benzoilamina-1,4-naftoquinona, 2-succinilamina-1,4-naftoquinona e lapachol). A escolha do modelo teórico empregado foi realizada por se comparar as geometrias, afinidade protônica, basicidade em fase gasosa, energia de ionização e afinidade eletrônica obtidos para a 1,4-benzoquinona com aqueles disponíveis na literatura. O modelo B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) foi o mais exato com relação as grandezas termoquímicas supracitadas, assim, este modelo foi empregado no cálculo dessas mesmas grandezas para a 1,4-naftoquinona e seus derivados. A influência do substituinte na estrutura eletrônica dessas moléculas protonadas, desprotonadas, oxidadas, reduzidas e cationizadas foi estudada utilizando-se análises energéticas, geométricas, eletrônicas e topológicas. O desenvolvimento desses estudos compreendeu as análises das grandezas termoquímicas e análises da densidade eletrônica pelos métodos NBO (Natural Bond Orbital), NSA (Natural Steric Analysis), NRT (Natural Resonance Theory) e AIM (Atoms in molecules). A ionização por electrospray e a dissociação induzida por colisão foram realizadas para os derivados da 1,4-naftoquinona, sendo analisados suas moléculas protonadas, desprotonadas, reduzidas, oxidadas e cationizadas com Na+. As vias mecanísticas de dissociação foram embasadas nas análises da superfície de energia obtidas pelo cálculo das energias de Gibbs e entalpias. / In recent decades, the development of atmospheric ionization techniques improved mass spectrometry, principally for characterization and structural elucidation of high-molecular weight compounds. The development of spray ionization was responsible for the spread of applications and studies of mass spectrometry, where the electrospray ionization is the most versatile among the ionization sources. The electrolytic character of electrospray source allows obtaining ions by three different chemical processes: i) acid-base; ii) redox and, iii) metal complexation. These processes will occur through several factors which can be related to the ionization source and thermochemical parameters of analyte. The notable progress of experimental analyses, computational data and the integration between several areas of chemical application have stimulated the use of theoretical chemistry at gas-phase studies. Computational chemistry can furnish a quantitative understanding of the structure and energy of possible ions during the ionization process. For this reason, the synergism between the concepts from quantum chemistry and gas-phase chemistry can help mass spectrometry analysis. The main purpose of this thesis was the application of several quantum mechanical models to obtain thermochemical parameters which can be related to mass spectrometry phenomena. Firstly, the comparison between ab initio, composite model and DFT methods were employed to obtain the thermochemical parameters to -butyrolactone e 2-pyrrolidinona, in order to obtain high performance of thermochemical parameters. The composite G2, G2(MP2), CBS-Q and, the B3LYP, B3P86, B98, PW91PW91 and MP2 methods were tested. The calculated values were compared to experimental values reported in the literature. The best results for enthalpies of formation were obtained when B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) model was employed. The proton affinity and gas-phase basicity were better described by using of B3LYP and G2(MP2). Secondly, the studies with quinones were performed, where the 1,4-benzoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone and its derivatives (2-acylamino-1,4-naphthoquinone; 2-propyonilamino-1,4-naphthoquinone; 2-butyrilamino-1,4-naphthoquinone; 2-benzoylamino-1,4-naphthoquinone; 2-succynilamino-1,4-naphtoquinone and, lapachol) were studied. A search for a theoretical model was made to compare the geometries, proton affinity, gas-phase basicity, ionization energy and electron affinity to 1,4-benzoquinone with those reported in the literature. The most accurate results were obtained by using of B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p). Thus, this model was applied in all studies with 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives. The influence of substituent groups on electronic structure of protonated, deprotonated, reduced, oxidized and cationized molecules were studied by energetic, geometrics, electronics and topological analyses. The development of these studies and the determination of the thermochemical parameters and wave function analysis was achieved by means of Natural Bond Orbitals, Natural Steric Analysis, Natural Resonance Theory and Atoms in Molecules The electrospray ionization and gas-phase collision-induced dissociation were made for the 1,4-naphtoquinone derivatives by analyzing their protonated, deprotonated species, the radicalar and sodiated ones. The main fragmentation pathways were elucidated on the basis of the energy surface by using Gibbs energies and enthalpies.

Indium nitride has many applications as a semiconductor. High quality films of indium nitride can be grown using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), but the availability of precursors and knowledge of the underlaying chemical reactions is limited. In this study the gas phase decomposition of a new indium precursor, N,N-dimethyl-N',N''-diisopropylguanidinate, has been investigated by quantum chemical methods for use in both CVD and ALD of indium nitride. The computations showed significant decomposition at around 250°C, 3 mbar indicating that the precursor is unstable at ALD conditions. A computational study of the surface chemical mechanism of the adsorption of trimethylindium and ammonia on indium nitride was also performed as a method development for other precursor surface mechanism studies. The results show, in accordance with experimental data, that the low reactivity of ammonia is a limiting factor in thermal ALD growth of indium nitride with trimethylindium and ammonia.

Nous décrivons le développement d'une nouvelle source d'ablation laser de nano-agrégats, qui couple la vaporisation laser avec l'ionisation par électro-spray. Avec cette source nous sommes capables de produire de nombreuses nouvelles espèces d'agrégats métalliques, de les étudier par spectrométrie de masse, et d'observer leur réactivité en phase gazeuse. Les stochiométries des nouvelles espèces sont étudiées en fonction de la composition du jet électro-spray. Nous trouvons ainsi que la présence de ligands thiols dans l'électro-spray empêche l'oxydation dans l'atmosphère des agrégats métalliques. De plus, la stabilité et le motif de fragmentation des agrégats métalliques et de leurs oxydes sont étudiés en mettant l'accent sur les différences et les similarités entre l'or et l'argent, aussi bien sous forme anion que cation. Les motifs de fragmentation des complexes de métaux du groupe cuivre sont étudiés et comparés à la chimie de synthèse en phase liquide. Par ailleurs, grâce à des modifications du montage expérimental, nous sommes capables d'étudier la réactivité en phase gazeuse des métaux des groupes cuivre et nickel avec les oxydes de carbone (CO) et oxydes d'azote (NO). La simple absorption du CO sur les agrégats métalliques est observée, ainsi que quelques réactions chimiques. Enfin, les complexes M2+ et M2H+ (avec M=Ag, Au, Pd, Pt) sont examinés en détail en terme de réactivité et du rôle de l'hydrogène dans la stabilisation du complexe / We describe the development of a new laser ablation nanocluster source which couples laser vaporization with electrospray ionization. With it we are able to produce many new species of metal clusters and study them with mass spectrometry, as well as investigate their reactivity in the gas phase. Stoichiometries of new species are investigated as a function of electrospray plume composition. We find that the presence of thiol ligands in the electrospray inhibits the oxidation of metal clusters in the atmosphere. Additionally, the stability and fragmentation patterns of bare metal clusters and their oxides, are investigated, with emphasis on differences and similarities between gold and silver, both for anions and cations. Fragmentation patterns of ligated complexes of the copper-group metals are studied as well and compared to the wet chemistry synthesis. By additional modification of the experimental setup, we are able to study gas phase reactivity of copper and nickel group metals with CO and NO. Simple adsorption of CO to metal clusters is observed, as well as some chemical reactions. The M2+ and M2H+ (M=Ag, Au, Pd, Pt) complexes are examined in detail in terms of reactivity and the role of hydrogen in stabilization of the complex