Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Team Leader: Professor M. L. Costa

Organisational Experience: Portuguese coordinator of an existing EU Science Twinning Programme (SCI-CT91-0678 TSTS) with the University of Southampton (with Professor J. M. Dyke as project coordinator). Also, a member of the Portuguese team (Professor A. M. C. Moutinho) is a coordinator of EC HCM Networks entitled "Negative ion resonances of adsorbed molecules on surfaces" (ERB-CHRST-930326) and "Bond making and breaking at surfaces" (CHRX-CT-93-0104).

Research Experience: Experience in studying the electronic structure of unstable molecules using photoelectron spectroscopy and molecular orbital calculations. Experience on mass spectrometry, molecular physics, and surface physics (SIMS, XPS, UPS).

Network Role: This will involve close collaboration with Southampton and Amsterdam on the photoelectron measurements made in Lisbon on azides and their decomposition products. Supporting laser and PES measurements will be performed in Southampton. Also, close contact will be maintained with the Garching and Salisbury groups on cluster ion reactions.

Staff Involved: Professor M. L. Costa (5mmlyear), Professor A. M. C. Moutinho (4mm/year), Professor M. H. Cabral (4mm/year), Dr. T. Gasche (2mm/year), Dr. O. Teodoro (2mm/year), A. A. Dias (3mm/year), T. Barros (2mm/year), C. Madruga (2mm/year).

Research Links: Collaboration with the Southampton group for approximately 10 years. The groups have been involved in an EU Science Twinning Programme for 5 years. Throughout this work frequent exchange visits between laboratories have been made.

Laboratory: The group has a uv photoelectron spectrometer designed and built in Southampton for the study of reactive intermediates (as part of an EU Science Twinning Programme), a double focusing high-resolution mass spectrometer, a JEOL DX 300 equipped with an EIICI source and donated by the FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Amsterdam, and a surface multitechnique instrument equipped with SIMS, AES, XPS, SAM, WF, ISS and Imaging SIMS.

Two Significant Recent Publications:

1

A Study of the Thermal Decomposition of 2-Azidoacetic Acid by Photoelectron and Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy
J. M. Dyke, A. P. Groves, A. Morris, J. S. Ogden, A. A. Dias, A. M. Oliveria, M. L. Costa, M. T. Barros and A. M. C. Moutinho
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1l9,1997, 223.

2

Study of Pyrolysis of Azidoacetone with Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Matrix-isolation
M. I. Catarino, A. A. Dias, J. M. Dyke, A. P. Goves, A. Morris, J. S. Ogden, A. P. Groves, A. M. Oliveria, M. L. Costa, M. T. Barros, M. H. Cobral and A. M. C. Moutinho
J. Phys. Chem, l999 (in press)


Research Role: To use a high-sensitivity uv photoelectron spectrometer, designed and built in Southampton with EC support, to study decomposition mechanisms of selected azides, azoalkanes and nitrites. A major effort will be made to understand these decompositions and how singlet and triplet nitrenes interconvert and give rise to products. The reactions of 02 with CO and NOx with N2 on surfaces will be studied. This investigation in catalysis will be complemented by experiments at Garching.