Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2025

A Technical Guide for Performing Spectroscopic Measurements on Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: April 28, 2023
Electronic Spectroscopy of SmO in the 645 to 670 nm Range
Joel R Schmitz1, Anh T Le2, Timothy C Steimle3
1Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States.
Abstract:
The associative ionization reaction Sm + O → SmO+ + e is being investigated as an electron source that could transiently modify high-altitude electron densities via Sm vapor release. Electronic spectra have been obtained from tests where sounding rockets released Sm vapor, but the interpretation of these results has been hampered by the limited laboratory spectral data available for both SmO and SmO+. The present study extends the spectroscopic characterization of SmO in the 645-670 nm range, where the field data show the most prominent molecular emission features. Rotationally resolved excitation spectra, dispersed laser-induced fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence decay lifetimes are reported. The results are consistent with the assignment of a subset of the red-region bands to configurational transitions of the form Sm2+(4f6s)O2- ↔ Sm2+(4f55d)O2-. Analysis of the excited state hyperfine structure supports this configurational description.
Related Concept Videos
UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions
Molecular Spectroscopy: Absorption and Emission
Atomic Spectroscopy: Absorption, Emission, and Fluorescence
Ultraviolet and Visible (UV–Vis) Spectroscopy: Overview
UV–Vis Spectrometers
IR Spectroscopy: Molecular Vibration Overview
Stretching vibrations are vibrational motions that occur along the bond line, changing the bond length or distance between two bonded atoms. They are further distinguished as symmetric or asymmetric. In symmetric stretching, the...

