Mónica Mendes

Research Areas

During my PhD, I was involved in the investigation of electron transfer effects in collisions between neutral potassium atoms and isolated molecules in the gas phase, as well as anions interactions leading to ion formation and total electron detachment cross sections. These experimental studies allowed me to obtain more profound knowledge of the different underlying physical-chemical reactions occurring when atoms and ions interact with molecules, namely charge transfer, ionisation and electron detachment leading to molecular dissociation. Atom-molecule collisions studies were performed in a crossed-beam experimental apparatus where biomolecules like pyrimidine and nitroimidazole compounds (radiosensitizers prototypes) were investigated. Regarding ion-molecule collision experiments, performed at CSIC (Madrid, Spain), I obtained, for the first time, total electron scattering cross sections after superoxide anion interactions with selected molecular targets.

Currently, I am involved in low energy electron interactions with molecules leading to negative/positive ion formation via dissociative electron attachment or electron ionisation. The experimental setup consists of a trochoidal electron monochromator with an electron energy resolution of about 100 meV coupled with an orthogonal reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The setup is fully operational with results published in peer-reviewed journals. I have also been involved in several VUV photoabsorption spectroscopy projects performed in Aarhus University, Denmark. The know-how I have gained during these years in electron interactions together with photoabsorption spectroscopy studies allowed me to be an active research member of the international scientific community. Additionally, I have also been collaborating with colleagues from theoretical research groups from France, Brazil and Spain that performed electron scattering and quantum chemical calculations. 

Main publications

Mendes, M.; Kossoski, F.; Lozano, A. I.; et al., Ferreira da Silva, F. Excited States of Bromopyrimidines Probed by VUV Photoabsorption Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22, 6460 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22126460

Guerra, C.; Kumar, S.; Aguilar-Galindo, F.; Díaz-Tendero, S.; Lozano, A. I.; Mendes, M.; Limão-Vieira, P.; García, G. Unexpected oxidation of benzene in collisions with superoxide anions. Sci. Rep. 11 23125-1 – 23125-9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02408-7

Pereira-da-Silva, J.; Rodrigues, R.; Ramos, J.; Brigído, C.; Botnari, A.; Silvestre, M.; Ameixa, J.; Mendes, M.; Zappa, F.; Mullock, S. J.; Araújo, J. M. M.; Varella, M. T. do N.; Cornetta, L. M.; Ferreira da Silva, F. Electron driven reactions in tetrafluoroethane: positive and negative ions formation. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 32, 6, 1459–1468 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1021/jasms.1c00057

Mendes, M.; García, G.; Bacchus-Montabonel, M.-C.; Limão-Vieira, P. Electron Transfer Induced Decomposition in Potassium–Nitroimidazoles Collisions: An Experimental and Theoretical Work. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 6170 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20246170

Mendes, M.; Pamplona, B.; Kumar, S.; Ferreira-da-Silva, F.; Aguilar, A; García, G.; Bacchus-Montabonel, M-C; Limão-Vieira, P. Ion-Pair Formation in Neutral Potassium-Neutral Pyrimidine Collisions: Electron Transfer Experiments. Front. Chem. 7:264 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2019.00264

More information in:

ORCID: 0000-0002-5266-8139

Scopus Author ID: 56785307300

Websites

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Monica_Mendes