Richard J. Saykally
Richard James Saykally ( * 1947 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin) is an American chemist.
Saykally developed new methods of spectroscopy and its application to molecular ions, water clusters, liquid water, aqueous solutions and their surfaces.
Life
Saykally acquired in 1970 at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire (part of the University of Wisconsin System in Eau Claire ) a bachelor's degree and a Ph.D. in 1977 Claude Woods at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. As a postdoctoral fellow Saykally worked with Kenneth M. Evenson at the National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. Since 1979 Saykally belongs to the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, first as an assistant professor, in 1983 as associate professor and since 1986 as a full professor. From 1988 to 1991 Saykally, where he worked as deputy head ( chairman ) of the Department of Chemistry. From 1983 to 1991 and from 2002 to 2009, he conducted research in addition at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Work
Among the developed Sykally and staff methods of spectroscopy include the velocity modulation spectroscopy (velocity modulation spectroscopy), the Terahertz vibration - rotation - tunneling spectroscopy of clusters ( terahertz laser vibration -rotation - tunneling spectroscopy of clusters ), the infrared photons counting spectroscopy ( infrared photon counting spectroscopy), the cavity ring-down spectroscopy and X-ray spectroscopy of liquid micro - rays (X- ray spectroscopy of liquid microjets ). With these methods, important findings about the characteristics, among others, oxonium ( H3O ), hydroxide ion (OH - ) or ammonium (NH4 ) and small water clusters or carbon clusters ( fullerenes ) are obtained.
Saykally is one of the most cited chemists ( Hirsch index 79, Booth 2013). Science Watch (Thomson Reuters) identified him in 1998 as one of the 16 most influential chemists ( high impact ).