10min:

JOHN A. DICKINSON AND TIMOTHY C. STEIMLE, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287.

The products of the reactions between ablated transition metals and small hydrocarbons have been investigated using laser induced fluorescence. In the low resolution (FWHM=0.05cm^-1) spectrum of the products of ablated Pt with C₃H₃ or CH₄ a series of weak features close to the ^{1 1 +} band of PtC have been identified. These features are broad and exhibit no reso lveable rotational structure. All the bands disappear when the C₃H₃ or CH₄ is replaced with NH₃, H₂ or CS₂. The dispersed fluorescence spectra of these bands displays a low frequencey progression ( _e~ 250 cm ^-1) close to that observed in Pt₂, however, they are not Pt₂. On this basis, these features are tentatively assigned to Pt₂CH_x. Progress on the analysis of these bands, higher resolution work and new work on Fe and other transition metals with small hydrocarbons will be presented.