by Rachael Lee, Honours Student, April 2024
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Paul M Mayer
Contact info:
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences
University of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6N5
613 562-5800 ext 6038
DRO 120
Gas Phase Ion Chemistry
Gas Phase Ion Chemistry
This area of my research focuses on the dynamics of the reactions of gas-phase ions. The work involves studying the mechanisms for ion dissociation and reactivity in mass spectrometry and the energetic and entropic factors that influence this reactivity. We pursue this work experimentally with mass spectrometry and theoretically with statistical rate theory and computational chemistry.
Ongoing research projects include a program in atmospheric chemistry in collaboration with a group of Maxi Burgos Paci at the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Argentina. It involves the study of reactive organic carbon (ROCs) and the mechanism driving their degradation and reactions with atmospheric aerosols. Projects range from the ionization (with a photon or proton) of formates and terpenes, their reactions in the gas phase with water and other aerosol clusters, and their thermolysis and oxidation. The work involves tandem mass spectrometry done in my lab, IR spectroscopy in Cordoba, Argentina and imaging PEPICO (photoelectron photoion coincidence) measurements done at the Swiss Light Source.
We are also active in studying the unimolecular chemistry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ions and their substituted analogs. Over the past 30 years of the so-called PAH hypothesis, these molecules have been argued to be involved in shielding organic reactions in the interstellar medium (ISM) and playing an active role in catalyzing these reactions, especially H2 formation. As part of my collaboration with a group in Toulouse, France, we are determining the energetics, entropics, and mechanisms for the photodissociation of these species and modeling experiments on their reactivity with H and H2 with statistical rate theories.
Characterizing Water-Based Plant Extracts: Hydrosols
Dr. Sharon Barden, the JLH Mass Spectrometry Core Facility manager, has an interest in plant hydrosols. I work with her and we often have a number of students (undergraduate volunteers, Honours project students) working on this analytical project. Visit the JLH Facility Website/Projects for details.
Undergraduates: I take several undergraduate students into the lab each year. In partiuclar, students in first-year can apply to do the Summer Internships in Natural Product Analysis.
I am committed to a student-centred mentorship style that treats each student as an individual, and I tailor my supervision to the needs and life conditions of each student.
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