Laser Flash Photolysis in Canada
Biological - Environmental - Materials - Zeolites - Proteins
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The Laser Systems
Our laser laboratories are extremely well equipped. We have both a nanosecond laser system and a femtosecond laser.
The nanosecond laser system is used to study the reactions of short lived reactive intermediates in both solution and in solid state materials, such as zeolites and clays. We are using our nanosecond system to investigate reactions of both biological and environmental applications. The nanosecond laser system is easy to use and a lot of interesting data can be obtained quickly. Studies using nanosecond laser photolysis have answered many questions in organic, bioorganic and materials chemistry.
Lasers
Our pulsed nanosecond lasers give short (around 10 ns) high energy pulses of light. In the lab our lasers produce light at 266 nm, 308 nm, 355 nm, and 532 nm. The laser wavelength is selected depending on the absorption properties of the molecule being studied.
The femtosecond laser gives very short 175 fs pulses of 775 nm light. The intense peak power of the red light can be used to initiate two photon absorption so that 775 nm light is able to excite molecules that have absorption in the 350 nm region and not at 775 nm. This useful property of ultrashort laser pulses can be used in medicine to excite photodynamic drugs in vivo (or through skin and tissue).
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keywords: Laser flash photolysis in Canada, research at Dalhousie University, fast reaction techniques, femtosecond and nanosecond lasers, kinetics and mechanisms, zeolites, proteins, dynamics, ultrafast kinetics.
