Skip Navigation
Search for People:
Search for Projects:

Wen Chao

Photo of Wen Chao

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, CA 91109

Curriculum Vitae:

Click here

Member of:

Laboratory Studies And Atmospheric Observations

Biography

Dr. Chao is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow working with the JPL Kinetics and Photochemistry Laboratory studying the chemical and spectroscopic properties of radical species relevant to planetary atmospheres. During his Bachelor and Master at NTU, he built up a transient UV-Vis spectrometer for measuring Criegee intermediates, a series of strong oxidation agents in Earth’s troposphere. He found that the reactions between Creigee intermediates and hydrogen-bonding molecules could be enhanced by water vapor in the atmosphere, which may explain the discrepancy between the modelled and measured aerosol concentrations. During his PhD at Caltech, he studies the methyl substitution effects on allyl radicals by Cavity-Ring Down Spectroscopy. In addition, he worked on the chemistry involving chlorine and sulfur in the Venusian atmosphere, such as ClSO and ClCO radicals.

Education

  • PhD, Chemistry, California Institute of Technology (2024)
  • M.S., Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (Sep. 2011-Jun. 2017)
  • B.S., Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (Sep. 2011-Jun. 2017)

Professional Experience

  • Visiting Scientist at Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratory,m Livermore (2016)
  • Physical Chemistry of Combustion and Atmospheric Processes, University Lille (2018)

Research Interests

The reactivity and spectroscopic properties of reactive molecules.

Catalytical Chemistry

Selected Awards

  • (2023) The de Karman Fellowship (funded by Josephine De Karman Fellowship Trust)
  • (2021) J. Yang Scholarship (funded by J. Yang & Family Foundation)

Selected Publications

  1. A white cell based broadband transient UV-vis absorption spectroscopy with pulsed laserphotolysis reactors for chemical kinetics under variable temperatures and pressures, Frank A. F. Winiberg, Wen Chao, Rebecca L. Caravan, Charles R. Markus, Stanley P. Sander, Carl J. Percival*, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 94, 114103 (2023) DOI: 10.1063/5.0164733
  2. A-Band Absorption Spectrum of the ClSO Radical: Electronic Structure of the Sulfinyl Group, Wen Chao*, Gregory H. Jones, Mitchio Okumura*, Carl J. Percival, and Frank A. F. Winiberg*, Phys. Chem. A, (2023), 127, 8374-8382. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c04977
  3. Spectroscopic and Kinetic Studies of the ClSO Radical from Cl2SO Photolysis, Wen Chao, Gregory H. Jones, Mitchio Okumura, Carl J. Percival, and Frank A. F. Winiberg*, J. Am. Chem.Soc, (2022), 144, 44, 20323-20331. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07912
  4. The Role of the Iodine-atom Adduct in the Synthesis and Kinetics of Methyl Vinyl Ketone Oxide —a Resonance-stabilized Criegee Intermediate, Yen-Hsiu Lin, Yu-Lin Li, Wen Chao, Kaito Takahashi and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., (2020), 22, 13603-13612. DOI:10.1039/D0CP02085K
  5. Direct kinetic measurements and theoretical predictions of an isoprene-derived Criegee intermediate, Rebecca L. Caravan, Michael F. Vansco, Kendrew Au, M. Anwar H. Khan, Yu-LinLi, Frank A. F. Winiberg, Kristen Zuraski, Yen-Hsiu Lin, Wen Chao, Nisalak Trongsiriwat, Patrick J. Walsh, David L. Osborn, Carl J. Percival, Jim Jr-Min Lin, Dudley E. Shallcross,Leonid Sheps, Stephen J. Klippenstein, Craig A. Taatjes, and Marsha I. Lester*, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (2020), 117 (18) 9733-9740. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916711117
  6. Effects of water vapor on the reaction of CH2OO with NH3, Wen Chao, Cangtao Yin, Kaito Takahashi, Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Phys. Chem. Chen. Phys., (2019), 21, 22589-22597. DOI:10.1039/C9CP04682H
  7. Hydrogen-bonding Mediated Reactions of Criegee Intermediates in the Gas Phase ― The Competition between Bimolecular and Termolecular Reactions and the Catalytic Role of Water, Wen Chao, Cangtao Yin, Kaito Takahashi, Jim Jr-Min Lin*, J. Phys. Chem. A, (2019), 123, 39,38336–8348. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b07117
  8. Temperature and Isotope Effects in the Reaction of CH3CHOO with Methanol, Wen Chao, Yen-Hsiu Lin, Cangtao Yin, Wei-Hong Lin, Kaito Takahashi and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Phys. Chem.Chem. Phys. (2019) 21, 13633-13640. DOI: 10.1039/C9CP02534K
  9. Water Vapor Does Not Catalyze the Reaction between Methanol and OH Radicals, Wen Chao, Jim Jr-Min Lin, Kaito Takahashi, Alexandre Tomas, Lu Yu, Yoshizumi J. Kajii, Sebastien Batut, Corealie Schoemaecker and Christa Fittschen*, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (2019), 58, 5013-5017.DOI: 10.1002/ange.201900711
  10. Synergy of Water and Ammonia Hydrogen Bonding in a Gas-Phase Reaction, Wen Chao, Cangtao Yin, Yu-Lin Li, Kaito Takahashi and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, J. Phys. Chem. A, (2019), 123, 7,1337-1342. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b00672.
  11. Direct measurement of OH and HO2 formation in R + O2 reactions of cyclohexane and tetrahydropyran, Ming-Wei Chen,* Brandon Rotavera, Wen Chao, Judit Zádora, and Craig A. Taatjes, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., (2018), 20, 10815-10825. DOI: 10.1039/C7CP08164B.
  12. Products of Criegee intermediate reactions with NO2: experimental measurements and tropospheric implications, Rebecca L. Caeavan, M. Anwae H. Khan, Brandon Rotavera, Ewa Papejek, Ivam O. Antonov, Ming-Wei Chen, Kendrew Au, Wen Chao, David L. Osborn, JimJr-Min Lin, Cral J. Percival, Dudley E. Shallcross, Craig A. Taatjes*, Faraday Discuss. (2017),200, 313. DOI: 10.1039/C7FD00007C
  13. Structure-dependent reactivity of Criegee intermediates studies with spectroscopic methods, Jim Jr-Min Lin*, and Wen Chao, Chem. Soc. Rev., (2017), 46, 7483-7497, DOI: 10.1039/c7cs00336f.
  14. High resolution quantum cascade laser spectroscopy of the simplest Criegee intermediate,CH2OO, between 1273 cm-1 and 1290 cm-1, Yuan-Pin Chang*, Anthony J. Merer, Hsun-Hui Chang, Li-Ji Jhang, Wen Chao, Jim Jr-Min Lin, J. Chem. Phys., (2017), 146, 244302. DOI:10.1063/1.4986536
  15. Temperature-Dependent Rate Coefficients for the Reaction of CH2OO with Hydrogen Sulfide, Mica C. Smith, Wen Chao, Manoj Kumar, Joseph S. Francisco, Kaito Takahashi*, and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, J. Phys. Chem. A, (2017), 121, 938–945. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b12303
  16. Temperature dependence of the reaction of anti-CH3CHOO with water vapor, Liang-Chun Lin, Wen Chao, Chun-Hung Chang, Kaito Takahashi* and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Phys. Chem. Chem.4Phys., (2016), 18, 28189-28197. DOI: 10.1039/c6cp05171e
  17. Competition between H2O and (H2O)2 reactions with H2COO/CH3CHOO, Liang-Chun Lin,Hung-Tzu Chang, Chien-Hsun Chang, Wen Chao, Mica C. Smith, Chun-Hung Chang, Jim Jr-MinLin* and Kaito Takahashi*, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., (2016), 18, 4557-4568. DOI:10.1039/c5cp06446e
  18. Unimolecular Decomposition Rate of the Criegee Intermediate (CH3)2COO Measured Directlywith UV Absorption Spectroscopy, Mica C. Smith, Wen Chao, Kaito Takahashi, Kristie A.Boering, and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, J. Phys. Chem. A, (2016), 120(27), 4789-4798. DOI:10.1021/acs.jpca.5b12124
  19. Kinetics of a Criegee Intermediate that would Survive High Humidity and may OxidizeAtmospheric SO2, Hao-Li Huang, Wen Chao and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., (2015),112, 10857–10862. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1513149112
  20. Strong Negative Temperature Dependence of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate CH2OO Reaction with Water Dimer, Mica C. Smith, Chun-Hung Chang, Wen Chao, Liang-Chun Lin, Kaito Takahashi, Kristie A. Boering and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., (2015), 6, 2708-2713. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b01109
  21. Direct Kinetic Measurement of the Reaction of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate with Water Vapor, Wen Chao, Jun-Ting Hsieh, Chun-Hung Chang and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Science, (2015) 347,751-754. DOI: 10.1126/science.1261549
  22. Absorption Spectrum of the Simplest Criegee Intermediate CH2OO, Wei-Lun Ting, Ying-HsuanChen, Wen Chao, Mica C. Smith and Jim Jr-Min Lin*, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., (2014) 16,10438-10443. DOI: 10.1039/c4cp00877d