Anisotropic EPR and ENDOR studies of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds adsorbed on silica-alumina surfaces
The physical phenomenon of an organic molecule adsorbing onto a silica-alumina surface is a topic of great interest. Many questions concerning exactly how this phenomenon occurs still remain unanswered. Although Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance techniques are sensitive to the radical species that are often produced upon adsorption of these molecules onto these surfaces, the analysis is very difficult and forbidding. Anisotropic interactions that are present in these systems makes characterization of the experimental spectra a very challenging problem. It is possible, however, to obtain crucial information about the interaction between the molecule and the catalyst surface through the analysis of these complex spectra. This thesis examines and analyzes an adsorbate/catalyst system with special qualities which are of interest to high-sulfur coal researchers. It also presents a general method which was developed to perform the analysis of spectra of highly anisotropic systems correctly.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign