Low-Temperature Infrared Studies of the Chemistry of Free Radicals

The recent successful experiments involving the production and chemical reactions of simple free radicals suspended in matrices at cryogenic temperatures are reviewed. Infrared spectral observations on the radicals HCO, NH, NF, NCl, NBr, and HO2 are summarized. Reactions of H atoms and O atoms and of the isoelectronic species CH2 and NH with simple molecules suspended in a matrix are discussed, indicating some of the more promising lines of current research.