UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 19, Page 13
February 8, 1996
Prof. Jean Futrell honored by chemical society

     Jean Futrell, the Willis F. Harrington Professor of Chemistry,
Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering and chairperson of chemistry and
biochemistry, received the 1995 American Chemical Society Delaware
section award at the organization's November meeting.
     In an address entitled, "Fundamental Studies in Tandem Mass
Spectrometry: A Game of Billiards in Three Dimensions," Futrell
discussed his research in the application of reaction dynamics
methods-particularly crossed molecular beams-in the investigation of
the mechanism of ion activation in tandem mass spectrometry and the
instruments that have been developed at the University to further this
research.
     According to the abstract of his presentation, "This technique is
very important in analytical applications of mass spectrometry, and is
increasingly important as new 'soft' ionization methods are rapidly
adapted to the analysis of complex molecular and quasi-molecular ions.
An important question...is whether the fundamental mechanisms of
collisional activation change dramatically as ion collision energy is
varied from the low energy regime... to high energy.... The widely held
general concept that high energy collisions largely involve electronic
excitation and low energy collision involve only vibrational
excitation have been demonstrated to be completely incorrect."
     Futrell compared his experiments- in which the trajectories of
ions are examined and the laws of conservation of momentum are
applied-to a game of billiards with molecular ions and atoms as the
balls in play. Some molecular fragments, which he labels "spectators,"
refuse to play and are uninvolved in momentum exchange in collision.
     Among the newly developed instruments for his research are
several tandem mass spectrometers and the first high pressure
(chemical ionization) time of flight and high resolution mass
spectrometers and the first ion-neutral supersonic crossed-beam
apparatus.
     Futrell is a graduate in chemical engineering from Louisiana Tech
University and received his doctorate in physical chemistry from the
University of California at Berkeley in 1958. He worked for Exxon's
Baytown Research Center and was assigned to the Aerospace Research
Laboratories at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio as an Air
Force officer, and was a faculty member at the University of Utah,
before joining the UD faculty in 1986.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure