ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

	I would like to sincerely thank my research advisor, Professor David H.
Russell for his advice, guidance, direction and endless enthusiam for the 
subject of photoinduced proton transfer and MALDI mass spectrometry.

	I gratefully acknowledge all the members of my committee who have given
their time to read this manuscript and who have also offered valuable advice
during my graduate career at Texas A&M University.

	I am especially indebted to my wife Jian, who has continually offered
her love, support, and guidance with her remarkable intelligence and most 
respectable perseverance in playing the role as a weekday single mother and a
scientist. I'll never thank her enough for helping me realize this part of my
American dream, completing studies with a Ph.D. degree in the United States.

	Best regards to all members of Dr. Russell's research group for their
friendship. I gratefully acknowledge Drs. Lloyd Sumner and Barbara Wolf who
provided me with one of the most comfortable working places I have ever had,
and Walt Parker who helped me with instrumentation and valuable advice. In
addition, I wish to thank Dr. Shuqiang Niu for his help with Gaussian
calculations, the results of which are partially presented in Chapter V.

	Many thanks for financial assistance from the Department of Energy and
Office of Basic Science whose support made this research possible.