DIPOLE MOMENTS AND NON-COVALENT BONDING IN GAS PHASE MOLECULES VIA ROTATIONALLY RESOLVED ELECTRONIC SPECTROSCOPY: BEYOND THE RIGID ROTOR

Size, shape and charge play important roles in both the structure and dynamics of molecules. One prime example of this is the protein folding problem. Here, we use rotationally resolved fluorescence excitation spectroscopy to probe these properties of small, gas-phase molecules. The structures and permanent electric dipole moments of several substituted benzenes have been determined in both their ground and excited electronic states, providing insight into the nature of molecular charge distribution and how it changes upon the absorption of UV light. Non-covalent interactions are also explored; studies performed on a molecule composed of a flexible tail attached to a rigid aromatic body reveal information about the strength and character of π-hydrogen bonding