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Spectroscopic Characterization And Photochemistry Of Nitrogen-Containing Molecules Relevant To Titan's Atmosphere, Deepali N. Mehta-Hurt

Open Access Dissertations

Titan's atmospheric chemistry has been the source of intrigue since the planetary body's discovery. Though there is a growing understanding of the atmospheric chemistry of small molecules on Titan, much less is known about larger molecule formation, and particularly about nitrile chemistry. This dissertation characterizes nitrile/isonitrile intermediates that are postulated to be important in Titan's atmosphere, adding to the necessary foundation for understanding Titan's atmospheric chemistry. The vibronic spectroscopy of para-diisocyanobenzene (pDIB, C≡N-Ph-N≡C) has been characterized as a first step towards photochemical studies that can test the transformation of the isonitrile group to other nitrogen-based functionalities.p …