Ronald P. Steer Professor of Chemistry Physical Chemistry Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan Office: Thorvaldson 347 Phone: (306) 966-4667 E-mail: ron.steer@usask.ca Web: http://www.usask.ca/chemistry/groups/steer/

Research Interests

Research is conducted in the general areas of spectroscopy, photophysics and photochemistry. Our experiments measure the structures of the electronic excited states of polyatomic molecules and the dynamics of their relaxation as a function of molecular structure and environment. Highly excited electronic states receive particular attention - azulene and other nonalternant aromatic hydrocarbons, compounds containing the thiocarbonyl group and metalloporphyrins are important models. Laser-based methods are employed; systems with nanosecond, picosecond and femtosecond time resolution are available. Recent experiments involve investigations of non-coherent photon upconversion by excited state annihilation.

Representative Publications

1. X. Liu, U. Tripathy, A. Mahammed, Z. Gross and R.P. Steer, "Photophysics of Soret-excited tetrapyrroles in solution. III. Al and Ga metallocorroles." Chemical Physics Letters, 459 (2008) 113-118.

2. X. Liu, U. Tripathy, S.V. Bhosale, S.J. Langford and R.P. Steer, "Photophysics of tetrapyrroles in solution. II. Effects of perdeuteration, substituent nature and position and macrocycle structure and conformation in zinc(II) porphyrins" Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 112 (2008) 8986-8998.

3. U. Tripathy, X. Liu, D. Kowalska, S. Velate and R.P. Steer, "Photophysics of Soret-excited tetrapyrroles in solution. I. MTPP, M = Mg, Zn, Cd." Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 112 (2008) 5824-5833.

4. U. Tripathy and R.P. Steer, "The photophysics of metalloporphyrins excited in their Soret and higher energy uv absorption bands." Journal of Porphyrins Phthalocyanines, 11 (2007) 228-243.

5. M. Okamoto, S. Hirayama and R.P. Steer, "A reinterpretation of the unusual barochromism of azulene." Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 85 (2007) 432-437.

6. E.K.L. Yeow, M. Ziolek, J. Karolczak, S.V. Shevyakov, A.E. Alsato, A. Maciejewski and R.P. Steer, "Sequential, forward S2 - S2 and back S1 - S1 (cyclic) energy transfer in a novel azulene-zinc porphyrin dyad." Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 108 (2004) 10980-10988.

7. N. Tetreault, R.S. Muthyala, R.S.H. Liu and R.P. Steer, "Control of the photophysical properties of polyatomic molecules by substitution and solvation: the second excited singlet state of azulene." Journal of Physical Chemistry, 103 (1999) 2524-2531.

8. A. Maciejewski and R.P. Steer, "The spectroscopy, photophysics and physical photochemistry of thiocarbonyls." Chemical Reviews, 93 (1993) 67-98.