Artistic rendering of the 3+3-cycloaddition discovered at Empa’s ’nanotech@surfaces’ laboratory. Image: Empa
Artistic rendering of the 3+3-cycloaddition discovered at Empa's 'nanotech@surfaces' laboratory. Image: Empa - Chemical syntheses in liquids and gases take place in three-dimensional space. Random collisions between molecules have to result in something new in an extremely short time. But there is another way: on a gold surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, molecules lying still next to each other can be made to combine - even those that would never want to react with each other in a liquid. Researchers at Empa have now discovered such a reaction. Best of all, the experts can "take pictures" and watch every step of the reaction. In chemistry, there are structures that are particularly stable, such as the so-called "benzene ring" consisting of six interconnected carbon atoms.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
