Probing chemical dynamics with negative ions

Experiments are reviewed in which key problems in chemical dynamics are probed by experiments based on photodetachment and/or photoexcitation of negative ions. Examples include transition state spectroscopy of biomolecular reactions, spectroscopy of open shell van der Waals complexes, photodissociation of free radicals, and time-resolved dynamics in clusters. The experimental methods used in these investigations are described along with representative systems that have been studied. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.