Stewart E. Novick, PhD

Professor of Physical Chemistry
(860) 685-2679
snovick@wesleyan.edu

We use high vacuum techniques to produce molecular beams which are probed by microwave spectroscopy. For example it is possible to reach the low temperature necessary for the production of van der Waals complexes by expansion of a gas through a supersonic nozzle into a vacuum chamber. By exciting molecules exiting the nozzle with a corona discharge, free radicals and other reactive intermediates are produced.

The microwave spectroscopic technique we employ in the laboratory is called pulsed-jet Fabry-Perot Fourier Transform microwave spectroscopy (FTMS). An intense pulsed jet of gas is produced at temperatures within 1 degree of zero Kelvin by standard pulsed supersonic techniques. This cold jet flows through a Fabry-Perot microwave cavity created by two large spherical aluminum mirrors whose separation ensures a high Q cavity tunable within the 6 to 26 GHz range. A pulse of microwave radiation timed to coincide with the arrival of the gas pulse, is introduced into the tuned cavity. If the molecules in the jet have a spectral transition within the 1 MHz spectral width of the cavity they can absorb the radiation and a macroscopic polarization of the molecules is induced. It is the free induction decay (FID) of this radiation that is detected. The results of many pulses and decays can be added together. The jet can be pulsed, say, ten times a second, so the result of two hundred pulses, polarization, FID's, can be collected within twenty seconds. These summed FID's are then Fourier transformed to produce a small piece of the molecular spectrum. The full microwave spectrum is gathered by retuning the cavity mechanically with a stepping motor to the next, say, 500 kHz window, stepping the master oscillator up by 500 kHz, and starting the pulsing sequence again. All this is accomplished automatically under computer control.

Weakly bound complexes are indeed rather complex molecules. Due to their extremely weak bonding, the molecules can and so undergo wild internal motions including extremely wide amplitude motions, and even inversions which make and break the weak bond. And yet, for these systems, the bonding geometry seems rather well predicted by chemical models similar to those which have proved so successful for the strongly bound covalent molecules.

A detailed understanding of the nature of these systems will have a fundamental impact on a host of chemical and physical problems including: transition state structures and dynamics, hydrogen bonding selectivity and directionality, crystal structures, reaction mechanisms, catalysis and surface interactions.

Group Members

Visitors to the Laboratory

Publications since 1990

• "The Structure of Weakly Bound Complexes as elucidated by Microwave and Infrared Spectroscopy" S. E. Novick, K. R. Leopold, W. Klemperer, in Studies in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, 68, 359 (1990).
• "The Torsional-Rotational Spectrum and Structure of the Formaldehyde Dimer" F. J. Lovas, R. D. Suenram, L. H. Coudert, T. A. Blake, K. J. Grant, S. E. Novick, J. Chem. Phys. 92, 891 (1990).
• "Determination of the Structure of CO₂ H₂CO" T. A. Blake, S. E. Novick, R. D. Suenram, F. J. Lovas, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 154, 72 (1992).
• "Determination of the C_s Structure of the Conformations of Dipropyl Ether" K. J. Grant, A. R. Hight Walker, S. E. Novick, R. K. Bohn, L. Qi, Ti. Wheeler, J. M. LoBue, M. A. Al-Laham, J. Phys. Chem. 97, 6979 (1993).
• "Determination of the Structure of Ar H₂CO" S. E. Novick, J. Chem. Phys. 99, 7506 (1993).
• "Current Themes in Microwave and Infrared Spectroscopy of Weakly Bound Complexes" K. R. Leopold, G. T. Fraser, S. E. Novick, W. Klemperer, Chemical Reviews 94, 1807 (1994).
• "Rotational Spectra of Methyl Ethyl and Methyl Propyl Nitrosamines. Conformational Assignment, Internal Rotation and Quadrupole Coupling" A. R. Hight Walker, Q. Lou, R. K. Bohn, S. E. Novick, J. Mol. Struct. 346, 187 (1995).
• "Determination of the Structure of HBr OCS" A. R. Hight Walker, W. Chen, S. E. Novick, B. D. Bean, M. D. Marshall, J. Chem. Phys. 102, 7298 (1995).
• "Carbon-13 Hyperfine Structure of the CCCCH Radical" W. Chen, S. E. Novick, M. C. McCarthy, C.A. Gottlieb, P. Thaddeus, J. Chem. Phys. 103, 7828 (1995).
• "Laboratory Measurement of the Hyperfine Structure of HCCCO" W. Chen, S. E. Novick, M. C. McCarthy, M. J. Travers, C. A. Gottlieb, A. L. Cooksy, P. Thaddeus, Astrophys. J. 462, 462 (1996).
• "Translational Energy Release Following Multiphoton Dissociation of Organometallics" R. M. Villarica, B. Samoriski, J. Chaiken, S. E. Novick, App. Surf. Sci. 106, 99 (1996).
• "Hyperfine Structure in the Microwave Spectrum of NF₃" S. E. Novick, W. Chen, M. R. Munrow, K. J. Grant, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 179 , 219 (1996).
• "Structure of Butatrieneylidene, H₂CCCC" M. J. Travers, W. Chen, S. E. Novick, J. Vrtilek, C. A. Gottlieb, P. Thaddeus, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 180, 75 (1996).
• "Determination of the Structure of HBr DBr" W. Chen, A. R. Hight Walker, S. E. Novick, F-M. Tao, J. Chem. Phys. 106, 6240 (1997).
• "Two New Cumulene Carbenes: H₂C₅ and H₂C₆" M. C. McCarthy, M. J. Travers, A. Kovacs, W. Chen, S. E. Novick, C. A. Gottlieb, P. Thaddeus, Science 275, 518 (1997).
• "Laboratory Detection of a New Carbon Chain Radical: H₂CCCCN", W. Chen, M. C. McCarthy, M. J. Travers, E. W. Gottlieb, M. R. Munrow, S. E. Novick, C. A. Gottlieb, P. Thaddeus, Astrophys J. 492, 849 (1998).
• "Microwave spectra of the methylcyanopolyynes CH₃(CC)_nCN, n=2,3,4,5", W. Chen, J.-U. Grabow, M. J. Travers, M. R. Munrow, S. E. Novick, M. C. McCarthy, P. Thaddeus, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 192, 1 (1998).
• "Microwave spectroscopy of the 2,4-pentadiynyl radical, H₂CCCCCH", W. Chen, S. E. Novick, M. C. McCarthy, P. Thaddeus, J. Chem. Phys. 109, 10190 (1998).
• "Determination of the structure of argon cyclobutanone", M. R. Munrow, W. C. Pringle, S. E. Novick, J. Phys. Chem. A 103, 2256 (1999).
• "Microwave spectroscopy of the methylpolyynes CH₃(CC)₆H and CH₃(CC)₇H", W. Chen, M. C. McCarthy, S. E. Novick, P. Thaddeus, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 196, 335 (1999).
• "Rotational spectra of argon acetone: A two-top internally rotating complex", L. Kang, A. R. Keimowitz, M. R. Munrow, S. E. Novick, , J. Mol. Spectrosc. 213, 122 (2002).
• "Microwave spectra of four new perfluoromethyl polyyne chains: trifluoropentadiyne, CF₃CCCCH, trifluoroheptatriyne, CF₃CCCCCCH, tetrafluoropentadiyne, CF₃CCCCF, and trifluoromethylcyanoacetylene, CF₃CCCN", L. Kang, S. E. Novick, J. Phys. Chem. A 106, 3749 (2002).
• "Hyperfine Interactions in HSiCl", W. Lin, S. E. Novick, M. Fukushimsa, W. Jaeger, J. Phys. Chem. A 106, 7706 (2002).
• "William A. Klemperer, an Appreciation", K. K. Lehmann, S. E. Novick, R. W. Field, A. J. Merer, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 222, 1 (2003).
• "Torsional analysis of 2-butynol", R. Subramanian, S. E. Novick, R. K. Bohn, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 222, 57 (2003).
• "The Microwave spectrum of  cyanophosphine", H₂PCN, L. Kang, S. E. Novick, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 225, 66 (2004).
• "The Microwave Spectrum of HGeCl", W. Lin, L. Kang, S. E. Novick,  J. Mol. Spectrosc. 230, 93 (2005).
• "Rotational spectrum, nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, and structure of six isotopomers of the argon-chlorocyclobutane van der Waals complex," R. Subramanian, J. M. Szarko, W. C. Pringle, S. E. Novick,  J. Mol. Struct. 742, 165 (2005).
• "High resolution studies of tropolone in the S₀ and S₁ electronic states: Isotope driven dynamics in the zero-point energy levels", J. C. Keske, W. Lin, W. C. Pringle, S. E. Novick, T. A. Blake, D. F. Plusquellic, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 074309 (2006).
• "The microwave spectrum of the 1,1-difluoroprop-2-ynyl radical, F₂CCCH", L. Kang, S. E. Novick, J. Chem. Phys. 125, 054309 (2006).
• The microwave spectrum of phosphaacetylnitrile, H₂PCCCN, L. Kang, A. J. Minei, S. E. Novick, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 240, 255-259 (2006).
• Microwave observation of the ‘recently found’ polar OCS dimer, Andrea J. Minei and Stewart E. Novick,  J. Chem. Phys., 126, 101101 (2007).
• Rotational spectra of gauche perfluoro-n-butane, C₄F₁₀; perfluoro-iso-butane, (CF₃)₃CF; and tris[trifluoromethyl]-methane, (CF₃)₃CH, Michaeleen R. Munrow, Ranga Subramanian, Andrea J. Minei, Dean Antic, Matthew K. MacLeod, Josef Michl, Raul Crespo, Mari Carmen Piqueras, Mitsuaki Izuha, Tomohiro Ito, Yoshio Tatamitani, Kenji Yamanoh, Teruhiko Ogata, Stewart E. Novick, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 242, 129-138 (2007).
• The microwave spectrum and structure of the argon trifluoroacetonitrile complex, Wei Lin and Stewart E. Novick, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 243, 32-36 (2007).
• Microwave spectra and ab initio studies of Ar-propane and Ne-propane complexes: structure and dynamics, Karen I. Peterson, David Pullman, Wei Lin, Andrea J. Minei, Stewart E. Novick, J. Chem. Phys. 127, 184306 (2007).
• Microwave spectrum and structure of the polar N₂O dimer, Nicholas R. Walker, Andrea J. Minei, Stewart E. Novick, Anthony C. Legon,  J. Mol. Spectrosc. 251, 153-158 (2008).
• Determination of the structure of methylene cyclobutane confirming a non-planar ethene and the structure of the argon-methylene cyclobutane van der Waals complex, Wei Lin, Jovan A. Gayle, Wallace C. Pringle, Stewart E. Novick, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 251, 210-216 (2008).
• Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy of monobromogermylene (HGeBr and DGeBr), a heavy atom carbene analog, Lu Kang, Fumie Sunahori, Andrea J. Minei, Dennis J. Clouthier, Stewart E. Novick, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 124317 (2009).
• Microwave spectra and structural parameters of equatorial-trans cyclobutanol, Wei Lin, Arindam Ganguly, Andrea J. Minei, Glen L. Lindeke, Wallace C. Pringle, Stewart E. Novick, James R. Durig, J. Mol. Struct. 922, 83-87 (2009).
• Microwave spectrum of the argon-tropolone van der Waals complex, Wei Lin, Wallace C. Pringle, Stewart E. Novick, Thomas A. Blake, J. Phys. Chem. A 113, 13076-13080 (2009).
• Determination of the structure of cyclopentene oxide and the argon cyclopentene oxide van der Waals complex, Andrea J. Minei, Jennifer van Wijngaarden, Stewart E. Novick, Wallace C. Pringle, J. Phys. Chem. A  114, 1427-1431 (2010).

Education

B.S. 1967 State University of New York, Stony Brook, Ted Goldfarb

M.A. 1968 Harvard University, Harvard Chemistry

Ph.D. 1973 Harvard University, William Klemperer   

Post Doctoral Research Associate, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics Carl Lineberger

Below are photographs from Professor William Klemperer's 65th birthday celebration in 1992, from his Retiral celebration in May 2002, and from his 80th birthday symposium on October 6, 2007.

The fourth photo is from the 70th birthday celebration and group reunion for W. Carl Lineberger, held in Boulder, Colorado on June 13, 2009. 40 years of ion chemistry.

[Chemistry] [Wesleyan]

Last updated: January 21, 2010 (sn)