Atomic force microscope reveals molecular ghosts
Tuesday, May 10, 2016 - 10:10
in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers recently used non-contact atomic force microscopy to look at simple chemical reactions with atomic resolution, confirming what chemists have heretofore only inferred from spectroscopy. These researchers have now looked at a more complicated reaction and seen intermediate states that should not have been observable because of their short lives. A theoretical understanding of why these stick around long enough to photograph is providing new rules for predicting or designing novel catalytic reactions.