Title：From Atmospheric Complexes to Aerosols: New Insights into Atmospheric Chemistry

Speaker： Professor Joseph S. Francisco

Time：Jun. 14,  2017.  Wed.  2:00-3:00 pm

Place:Library center meeting room

Abstract：

The chemistry in our atmosphere governs phenomena such as ozone depletion, acid rain, and climate change. Having a firm understanding of all chemical processes at the molecular level in the atmosphere will allow for the development of accurate global climate models. This talk will discuss some of the more traditional chemical reactions that occur in the atmosphere, and how water influences both the mechanism and kinetic of atmospheric reactions. How gas-phase materials become incorporated with cloud droplets has been an intriguing subject for decades, and considerable work has been done to understand the interactions between closed-shell molecules and liquid water. The interactions between radical species and the air/water interface of cloud droplets, however, are not well understood.Fundamental structure and interactions of radical-molecules are critical to understanding binding, the configuration, and orientation of radicals the interface. This has important ramifications for our understanding of radical chemistry and lends new insight into the role that clouds and aerosols play in processing chemistry in the atmosphere.

Biography:

Prof. Joseph S. Francisco is the Elmer H. and Ruby M. Cordes Chair in Chemistry, and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He served as President of the American Chemical Society for 2010. Prof. Joseph S. Francisco received various awards including the Edward W. Morley Medal from the American Chemical Society Cleveland Section, National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, and a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar Award. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Francisco as a member of the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science serving the term from 2010-2015.