|
|
| Name |
Francisco, Joseph S. |
| Location
|
University of Pennsylvania |
| Primary Field
|
Chemistry |
| Secondary Field
|
Geophysics |
 Election Citation
|
|
Francisco has led the field in applying state-of-the-art theoretical approaches to a wide range of problems in atmospheric chemistry. His work on the impact of water on kinetics and mechanisms, including of free radicals such as HO2, has provided key insights and facilitated modeling and quantitative predictions of atmospheric processes. |
|
Research Interests
|
|
Francisco has applied new tools from theoretical chemistry to atmospheric chemical problems to enhance our understanding of chemistry in the atmosphere at the molecular level. Examples include the atmospheric chemistry of chlorofluorocarbon, which systematically described in detail the underlying photo-oxidation pathways of the trihalomethyl radical, serving as basis for understanding the atmospheric chemistry of halocarbons. Recently Francisco has focused on the study of radical-molecule complexes, discovering a new class of association species held together by strong hydrogen bonding. This work has led to significant new understanding of the effect of water on reactivity and product distributions of fundamental reactions. He is also interested in chemistry at the interface of cloud/aerosol surfaces. Work in this area focuses on understanding how the interface orients molecules and alters their chemistry from that in the gas phase. |
|
|
|