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Michael D. Morse

Michael D. MorsePHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Distinguished Professor

B.S., Haverford College, 1974
Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1980
NSF and Hertz Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Chicago, 1980-81
Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University, 1981-1984

Phone: (801) 581-8319
Office: 3428 TBBC
Email: morse@chem.utah.edu
Research Group


Activities & Awards

Research Interests

Research in Professor Morse’s group is directed toward understanding the chemical bonding and electronic structure in metallic and semiconductor systems by detailed spectroscopic investigations. This research makes extensive use of laser spectroscopy through laser-induced fluorescence, resonant two-photon ionization, and photodissociation action spectroscopy of mass-selected cations. In many of these experiments, metal or semiconductor atoms are ablated from an appropriate target in the throat of a pulsed supersonic expansion by a focused laser pulse. Condensation of the atomic species then occurs in the high pressure region downstream from the point of vaporization. Expansion into vacuum cools the molecules to a few degrees Kelvin, then isolates them from further collisions as the pressure drops. Farther downstream, a variety of spectroscopic experiments are performed, aimed at understanding the molecular structure (both electronic and geometrical) of the small metal and semiconductor molecules.

One spectroscopic technique used is resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy (R2PI). In this method, a tunable dye laser is scanned in conjunction with a fixed frequency ultraviolet laser. The ultraviolet laser wavelength is chosen so that it cannot ionize the ground state of the molecule with a single photon, but the combination of one dye laser photon plus one UV laser photon is sufficient for ionization. Under these conditions an enhancement of the ion signal is observed in a mass spectrometer whenever the dye laser is resonant with a molecular absorption. By detecting the ions in a mass spectrometer we can identify the mass of the absorber. In these spectroscopic studies it is possible to measure vibrational frequencies, bond lengths, electronic state symmetries, and bond strengths of many novel species. Among the molecules first studied in our group are Si2N, MoC, PdC, NbCr, YCu, Ti2, GaAs, LiCu, AlNi, Au3, Al3, Bi3, and CuAgAu. More recently we have published electronic spectra of unsaturated organometallic molecules including CrCH3, CrCCH, NiCCH and NiCH3. These are among the most complex unsaturated transition-metal ligand molecules ever spectroscopically studied in the gas phase.

In a second instrument, a molecular species observed using R2PI is excited and the fluorescence is dispersed to provide information about the vibrational levels of the ground and low-lying electronic states. This instrument employs a sensitive charge-coupled device array detector. We also have the ability to study molecules using a cw ring dye laser, which provides an instrumental resolution of better than 0.003 cm-1. This permits the study of finer details such as hyperfine interactions and electric dipole moments.

Research in the Morse group is also directed toward extending supersonic jet techniques to include other spectroscopies and other types of molecules. In one such extension, we are completing the construction of an ion-trap instrument in which mass-selected ions will be trapped, cooled to a low temperature, and interrogated with a scanning pulsed dye laser.  Absorption will be detected by the production of fragment ions.

Most of the material on these pages is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (CHE-1664962 and earlier grants).  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Selected Publications

  • Kimberly H. Tomchak, Jason J. Sorensen, Erick Tieu, and Michael D. Morse, “Predissociation-based measurements of bond dissociation energies: US2, OUS, and USe,” J. Chem. Phys. 161, 044306 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0220813
  • Dakota M. Merriles and Michael D. Morse, “CrN, CuB, and AuB: A Tale of Two Dissociation Limits,” J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 14, 7361-67 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01712
  • Dakota M. Merriles and Michael D. Morse, “Ionization energies and cationic bond dissociation energies of RuB, RhB, OsB, IrB, and PtB,” J. Chem. Phys. 157, 074303 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0107086
  • Dakota M. Merriles, Kimberly H. Tomchak, Christopher Nielson, and Michael D. Morse, “Early Transition Metals Strengthen the B2 Bond in MB2 Complexes,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. (Communication), 144(17) 7557-7561 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c13709
  • Dakota M. Merriles, Christopher Nielson, Erick Tieu, and Michael D. Morse, “Chemical Bonding and Electronic Structure of the Early Transition Metal Borides: ScB, TiB, VB, YB, ZrB, NbB, LaB, HfB, TaB, and WB,” J. Phys. Chem. A, 125(20), 4420-34 (2021). (Alexander Boldyrev Festschrift). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.1c02886
  • Jason J. Sorensen, Erick Tieu, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond dissociation energies of the lanthanide sulfides and selenides,” J. Chem. Phys., 154, 124307 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042695
  • Dakota M. Merriles, Andrew Sevy, Christopher Nielson, and Michael D. Morse, “The bond dissociation energy of VO measured by resonant three-photon ionization spectroscopy,” J. Chem. Phys., 153, 024303 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0014006
  • Michael D. Morse, “Predissociation Measurements of Bond Dissociation Energies,” Accts. Chem. Res. 52, 119-126 (2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00526
  • Andrew Sevy, Erick Tieu, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond Dissociation Energies of FeSi, RuSi, OsSi, CoSi, RhSi, IrSi, NiSi, and PtSi,” J. Chem. Phys. 149, 174307/1-11 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5050934

  • Andrew Sevy, Daniel J. Matthew, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond Dissociation Energies of TiC, ZrC, HfC, ThC, NbC, and TaC,” J. Chem. Phys. 149, 044306/1-12 (2018). https://dx.doi.org /10.1063/1.5041422

  • Andrew Sevy, Robert F. Huffaker, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond Dissociation Energies of Tungsten Molecules: WC, WSi, WS, WSe, and WCl,” J. Phys. Chem. A, 121, 9446-9457 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.7b09704

  • Andrew Sevy, Jason J. Sorensen, Thomas D. Persinger, Jordan A. Franchina, Eric L. Johnson, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond Dissociation Energies of TiSi, ZrSi, HfSi, VSi, NbSi, and TaSi,” J. Chem. Phys. 147, 084301/1-8 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4986213

  • Daniel J. Matthew, Erick Tieu, and Michael D. Morse, "Determiniation of the bond dissociation energies of FeX and NiX (X = C, S, Se)," J. Chem Phys. 146, 144310/1-10 (2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4979679  

  • Jason J. Sorensen, Thomas D. Persinger, Andrew Sevy, Jordan A. Franchina, Eric L. Johnson, and Michael D. Morse, “Bond dissociation energies of diatomic transition metal selenides: TiSe, ZrSe, HfSe, VSe, NbSe, and TaSe,” J. Chem. Phys. 145, 214308/1-10 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4968601

  • Eric L. Johnson, Quincy C. Davis, and Michael D. Morse, “Predissociation measurements of bond dissociation energies: VC, VN, and VS,” J. Chem. Phys. 144, 234306/1-9 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4953782
  • Daniel J. Matthew, Sang Hoon Oh, Andrew Sevy, and Michael D. Morse, “The bond length and bond energy of gaseous CrW,” J. Chem. Phys.  144, 214306/1-10 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4952453
  • Eric L. Johnson and Michael D. Morse, “Resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy of jet-cooled OsSi,” J. Chem. Phys.  143, 104303/1-12 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4929483
  • Eric L. Johnson and Michael D. Morse, “The A 2Δ5/2 ← X 2Δ5/2  electronic band system of nickel acetylide, NiCCH,” Mol. Phys.  113(15-16), 2255-2266 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00268976.2015.1023751
  • Brugh, D. J.; Morse, M. D. "Rotational analysis of the 301 band of the A 6Σ+ - 6Σ+ System of CrCCH," Chem. Phys.  2014, 141, 064304/1-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4890972
  • Matthew, D. J.; Morse, M. D. "Resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy of jet-cooled UN: Determination of the ground state," Chem. Phys.  2013, 138, 184303/1-/7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4803472
  • Krechkivska, O.; Morse, M. D. "Electronic Spectroscopy of Diatomic VC," Phys. Chem. A  2013, 117, 13284-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp404710s
  • Krechkivska, O.; Morse, M. D. "ZrFe, A Sextuply-Bonded Diatomic Transition Metal?," Phys. Chem. A  2013, 117, 992-1000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp301096z

Last Updated: 11/25/24