Conformational studies of gaseous model biomolecules and their hydrate clusters

The gas-phase molecular conformers of a range of flexible model biomolecules and their hydrate clusters have been investigated using 1- and 2-colour resonant twophoton ionisation (R2PI) spectroscopy and UV-UV hole burn (HB) spectroscopy, supported by ab initio theoretical calculations at the HF, CIS, B3LYP and MP2 levels. This project has focussed on a series of molecules belonging to the Ph(CH2)nX family, and on derivatives of nicotine. Conformers have been identified primarily by rotational band contour analysis. Contours were measured using a pulsed dye laser at moderate resolution (~ 0.1 cm-1).