Chemist adds details of 'cold collisions of hot molecules' to theories
of molecular interactions

Date:
June 30, 2020
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
When two cars collide at an intersection -- from opposite
directions - - the impact is much different than when two cars
-- traveling in the same direction -- 'bump' into each other. In
the laboratory, similar types of collisions can be made to occur
between molecules to study chemistry at very low temperatures,
or 'cold collisions.' A team of scientists has developed a new
experimental approach to study chemistry using these cold 'same
direction' molecular collisions.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
When two cars collide at an intersection -- from opposite directions --
the impact is much different than when two cars -- traveling in the same direction -- "bump" into each other. In the laboratory, similar types
of collisions can be made to occur between molecules to study chemistry
at very low temperatures, or "cold collisions."

==========================================================================
A team of scientists led by Arthur Suits at the University of Missouri
has developed a new experimental approach to study chemistry using these
cold "same direction" molecular collisions. Suits said their approach
hasn't been done before.

"When combined with the use of a laser that 'excites' the molecules,
our approach produces specific 'hot' states of molecules, allowing us to
study their individual properties and provide more accurate experimental theories," said Suits, a Curators Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in
the College of Arts and Science. "This is a condition that does not occur naturally but allows for a better understanding of molecular interactions.

Suits equated their efforts to analyzing the results of a marathon race.

"If you only look at the average time it takes everyone to complete the
Boston Marathon, then you don't really learn much detail about a runner's individual capabilities," he said. "By doing it this way we can look
at the fastest 'runner,' the slowest 'runner,' and also see the range
and different behaviors of individual 'runners,' or molecules in this
case. Using lasers, we can also design the race to have a desired outcome, which shows we are gaining direct control of the chemistry." Suits said
this is one of the first detailed approaches of its kind in this field.

"Chemistry is really about the collisions of molecules coming together
and what causes chemical reactions to occur," he said. "Here, instead
of crossing two beams of molecules with each other as researchers have
often done before, we are now pointing both beams of molecules in the
same direction. By also preparing the molecules in those beams to be in specific states, we can study collisions in extreme detail that happen
very slowly, including close to absolute zero, which is the equivalent
of the low temperature states needed for quantum computing."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Chandika Amarasinghe, Hongwei Li, Chatura A. Perera, Matthieu
Besemer,
Junxiang Zuo, Changjian Xie, Ad van der Avoird,
Gerrit C. Groenenboom, Hua Guo, Jacek Kłos, Arthur
G. Suits. State-to-state scattering of highly vibrationally excited
NO at broadly tunable energies. Nature Chemistry, 2020; 12 (6):
528 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-020-0466-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200630155748.htm

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