Material Detail

This video was recorded at CHEM 125b: Freshman Organic Chemistry II. Spectroscopic determination of bond dissociation energies is relatively straightforward for many diatomic molecules, but for polyatomic molecules it requires merging the results from a variety of challenging experiments. Professor Ellison describes how such techniques as flowing-afterglow mass spectroscopy and negative-ion photoelectron spectroscopy together with data on free-radical kinetics and heats of formation have allowed precise determination of the O-H, C-H, and C-O bonds in methanol and other compounds. Interpreting these reliable data provides new insight into the nature of chemical bonding and "resonance."

Disciplines:

• Science and Technology  / Chemistry  / Organic