Grove City College Professor of Chemistry Dr. Michael Falcetta and bio-chemistry student Nathan Reilly ’17 had their paper “Stabilization Calculations of the Low-Lying Temporary Anions States of Be, Mg and Ca” published this month in the journal Chemical Physics.
The article, co-authored with Professor K.D. Jordan from the University of Pittsburgh, addresses the very short-lived negative ion states of these atoms, using computational methods developed by Falcetta, Reilly and Jordan. While the states considered exist for only a few millionths of a billionth of second, they can have a profound impact on chemical processes in planetary atmospheres, plasma technologies and even effect of radiation on biochemical systems.
The research was completed with the support of The Swezey Scientific Instrumentation and Research Fund, which helps Grove City College’s Hopeman School of Science, Engineering and Mathematics fund student and faculty research. Since its inception in 2007, the fund has been used to support a wide range of scholarly work, purchase research equipment and provide research stipends to students.
To learn more about the Department of Chemistry at Grove City College, visit www.gcc.edu/chem.