Molecular Spectroscopy

At the end of this course the student should be able to: Understand the concepts of absorption, stimulated and spontaneous emission of radiation. Explain the general principles and describe the instrumentation of rotational and vibrational spectroscopies. Apply basic concepts to predict the appearance of microwave, IR and UV-vis spectra of organic and inorganic molecules. Show familiarity with character tables and symmetry group operations, and distinguish between infrared and Raman active vibrations. Apply molecular spectroscopy in research experiments to determine appropriate experimental methods that are most relevant to a specific problem.

Objectives

Learning Outcomes At the end of this course the student should be able to: Understand the concepts of absorption, stimulated and spontaneous emission of radiation. Explain the general principles and describe the instrumentation of rotational and vibrational spectroscopies. Apply basic concepts to predict the appearance of microwave, IR and UV-vis spectra of organic and inorganic molecules. Show familiarity with character tables and symmetry group operations, and distinguish between infrared and Raman active vibrations. Apply molecular spectroscopy in research experiments to determine appropriate experimental methods that are most relevant to a specific problem.

Prerequisites

The students should have completed successfully the course Physical Chemistry I (3rd semecter).

Syllabus

Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy. The electromagnetic spectrum. Interaction of light and matter. Classification of spectra: emission, absorption and Raman spectra. Experimental techniques. The intensities and widths of spectral lines. Pure Rotational Spectra – Microwave Spectroscopy. Rotational constant, moment of inertia and rotational energy levels of diatomic molecules. Rotational transitions and selection rules. Rotational spectra of polyatomic molecules. Microwave spectroscopy. Rotational Raman spectra. Vibrational Spectroscopy – Diatomic Molecules. The vibrations of diatomic molecules. The harmonic oscillator. Selection rules and infrared spectra of diatomic molecules. Anharmonicity. Vibration-rotation spectra. Vibrational Raman spectra. Symmetry. The symmetry elements of objects. Symmetry operations. The symmetry classification of molecules. Introduction to the group theory. Vibrational Spectroscopy – Polyatomic Molecules. The vibrations of polyatomic molecules. Normal modes and symmetry. Infrared spectra and vibrational Raman spectra of polyatomic molecules. Applications of symmetry and group theory in spectroscopy. Electronic Spectroscopy. Electronic structure of molecules. Characteristics of electronic transitions. The Frank-Condon principle. UV/vis spectroscopy. Measures of intensity; the Beer-Lambert law. Introduction to Lasers. General principles of laser action.