Research this year has focused on the spectroscopy of PtO.� Intracavity laser absorption spectroscopy was used to record two new electronic transitions of gas-phase platinum oxide, PtO, in the near-infrared.� A portion of the spectrum is shown below.� The sharp Q-branch bandhead is observed near 12118 cm^-1.� This spectrum contains one each P, Q, and R-branch, and the Q-branch is clearly the strongest branch.� This suggests that ΔΩ = 1.� Following a preliminary analysis, this transition is tentatively designated as the [12.1] Ω=1 � X ³S^-₀ transition.� The X ³S^-₀ �ground state has been observed by microwave and electronic spectroscopies:� the known ground state parameters greatly aid in the analysis of the new spectrum.

A second electronic transition was observed near 12546 cm^-1.� This transition has one P-branch and one Q-branch only, suggesting ΔΩ = 0.� Isotopologue structure resulting from the 3 abundant Pt isotopes is observed in this transition.� Following a preliminary analysis, this transition is tentatively designated as the [12.5] Ω=0 � X ³S^-₀ transition.� A new student has recently joined my research group, and she will continue the analyses on PtO outlined above.�

The ACS-PRF award supports our research and positively impacts our careers by providing funding for research supplies, travel for conferences, and salary for summer work.� Platinum oxide is important in many catalytic reactions, and this research provides insight into the electronic structure and bonding of PtO.�