New 'Molecular Movie' Reveals Ultrafast Chemistry in Motion
Friday, June 19, 2015 - 14:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists for the first time tracked ultrafast structural changes, captured in quadrillionths-of-a-second steps, as ring-shaped gas molecules burst open and unraveled. Ring-shaped molecules are abundant in biochemistry and also form the basis for many drug compounds. The study points the way to a wide range of real-time X-ray studies of gas-based chemical reactions that are vital to biological processes.