Speaker: Dr. Erik T. J. Nibbering, MBI-Berlin, Germany
Program Description:
How acids and bases react in water is a question raised since the pioneering days of modern chemistry. Recent decades have witnessed an increased effort in elucidating the microscopic mechanisms of proton exchange between acids and bases and the important mediating role of water in this. Aqueous acid-base neutralization predominantly proceeds in a sequential way via water bridging acid and base molecules on femto- to picosecond time scales. Only limited insight into electronic structure is obtained acid and bases using conventional probing spectral ranges. I will present our recent advances into utilizing soft X-ray spectroscopy to elucidate the electronic structural evolution of proton transfer pathways, providing key insight into elementary steps of aqueous proton transport including the role of mediating water in bulk solution, and in specific conditions such as hydrogen fuel cells or trans-membrane proteins.
