The matrix isolation (MI) method has now been used for nearly thirty years. During this period it has been actively developed and the range of problems tackled greatly extended. Originally it was used for studies of transient species involv ing vibrational, electronic and ESR spectroscopy. Nowadays the study of transient species forms a comparatively small part of HI work since it has been amply demonstrated that very fruitful information can be obtained of the structure and interactions of stable molecules and their aggregates. In addition to the s~ectroscopic methods mentioned above the MI technique is nowadays a standard method in research based on vibrational relaxation, luminescence, Mossbauer, magnetic circular dichroism, pulsed NMR and photoelectron spectroscopy. The matrix isolation technique affords considerable advantages over more conventional methods in most applications of spectroscopy. Areas where the technique has been widely applied, or shows great potential, include: metal atom chemistry, and its relation to surface chemistry, high temperature inorganic species, transition metal complexes, interstellar species, free radicals and unstable molecules, conformational studies, molecular com plexes, and intermolecular forces.

Inhalt

1. The history of matrix isolation spectroscopy..- Section A - Techniques.- 2. Infrared and Raman matrix isolation spectroscopy..- 3. Electronic spectroscopy of matrix isolated solutes..- 4. Magnetic circular dichroism - matrix isolation spectroscopy..- 5. Electron spin resonance studies of radicals trapped in rare-gas matrices..- 6. Mössbauer spectroscopy on matrix-isolated species.- 7. Time and frequency resolved vibrational spectroscopy of matrix isolated molecules: Population and phase relaxation processes..- 8. Stable molecules..- 9. Generation and trapping of unstable solutes in low temperature matrices..- 10. The characterisation of high temperature molecules using matrix isolation and vibrational spectroscopy..- 11. High pressure studies..- 12. Non-traditional matrix isolation: adducts..- Section B - Matrix Effects.- 13. Interpretation of infrared and Raman spectra of trapped molecular impurities from interaction potential calculations..- 14. Matrix induced changes in the electronic spectra of isolated atoms and molecules..- 15. Matrix effects studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy..- 16. Molecular motion in matrices..- 17. Vibrational band intensities in matrices..- Section C - Applications.- 18. Matrix isolation spectroscopy of metal atoms and small clusters..- 19. Vibrational spectra of matrix isolated gaseous ternary oxides..- 20. Matrix isolation spectra (IR, Raman) of transition metal compounds..- 21. Metal carbonyls - structure, photochemistry, and IR lasers..- 22. Matrix isolation vibrational spectroscopy on organic molecules..- 23. Conformational isomerism studied by matrix isolation vibrational spectroscopy..- 24. Hydrogen bonding in matrices..- Author Index.