Investigation on the Dissociative Photoionization Mechanism of Furfural, Investigation of the Absolute Photoionization Cross Sections of Three Potential Propargylic Fuels, and ab initio Analysis on Potential Superbases of Several Hyperlithiated Species: Li3F2O and Li3F2(OH)n (n = 1, 2, 3)

This thesis presents the study photoionization cross sections of three different propargylic biofuels; dipropargyl ether, propargyl alcohol, and propargylamine, in chlorine radical-initiated combustion experiments at the Chemical Dynamics Beamline (9.0.2) at the Advanced Light Source of the Ernest Orlando Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Additionally, the unimolecular dissociative photoionization mechanism of furfural was studied using photoelectron photoionization coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy at the vacuum ultraviolet beamline at the Swiss Light Source of the Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen, Switzerland. Dissociation products and mechanisms for furfural were identified over a photon energy range of 10.9 to 14.5 eV. Lastly, a study of the potential superbasicity of several hyperlithiated species using high-level ab initio techniques is presented on Li3F2O and Li3F2(OH)n (n = 1, 2, or 3) to calculate their relative proton affinities and gas-phase basicities