Date of Graduation

Spring 5-31-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemistry

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Chemistry

First Advisor

Giovanni Meloni, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jeff Curtis, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Ryan West, Ph.D.

Abstract

This thesis presents the study photoionization cross sections of three different propargylic biofuels; dipropargyl ether, propargyl alcohol, and propargylamine, in chlorine radical-initiated combustion experiments at the Chemical Dynamics Beamline (9.0.2) at the Advanced Light Source of the Ernest Orlando Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Additionally, the unimolecular dissociative photoionization mechanism of furfural was studied using photoelectron photoionization coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy at the vacuum ultraviolet beamline at the Swiss Light Source of the Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen, Switzerland. Dissociation products and mechanisms for furfural were identified over a photon energy range of 10.9 to 14.5 eV. Lastly, a study of the potential superbasicity of several hyperlithiated species using high-level ab initio techniques is presented on Li3F2O and Li3F2(OH)n (n = 1, 2, or 3) to calculate their relative proton affinities and gas-phase basicities.

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