Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions
Real-time observation of bond formation by using Femtosecond X-ray liquidography (solution scattering)
Real-time observation of bond formation by using Femtosecond X-ray liquidography (solution scattering)
February 18, 2015
Theresearch team of the Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions at theInstitute for Basic Science (IBS) has successfully visualized the entireprocess of bond formation in solution by using femtosecond time-resolved X-ray liquidography(femtosecond TRXL) for the first time in the world.
Everyresearcher’s longstanding dream to observe real-time bond formation in chemicalreactions has come true. Since this formation takes less than one picosecond, researchershave not been able to visualize the birth of molecules.
Theresearch team has used femtosecond TRXL in order to visualize the formation ofa gold trimer complex in real time without being limited by slow diffusion.
Theyhave focused on the process of photoinduced bond formation between gold (Au) atomsdissolved in water. In the ground (S0) state, Au atoms are weaklybound to each other in a bent geometry by van der Waals interactions. Onphotoexcitation, the S0 state rapidly converts into an excited (S1)state, leading to the formation of covalent Au-Au bonds and bent-to-lineartransition. Then, the S1 state changes to a triplet (T1) statewith a time constant of 1.6 picosecond, accompanying further bond contractionby 0.1 Å. Later, the T1 state of the trimer transforms to a tetrameron nanosecond time scale, and Au atoms return to their original bent structure.
“Byusing femtosecond TRXL, we will be able to observe molecular vibration and rotationin the solution phase in real time,” says Hyotcherl Ihee, the group leader ofthe Center for Nanomaterials at IBS, as well as the professor of the Departmentof Chemistry at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Notes for editors
-References
Kyung Hwan Kim, Jong Goo Kim, Shunsuke Nozawa, Tokushi Sato, Key Young Oang, Tae Wu Kim, Hosung Ki, Junbeom Jo, Sungjun Park, Changyong Song, Takahiro Sato, Kanade Ogawa, Tadashi Togashi, Kensuke Tono, Makina Yabashi, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Joonghan Kim, Ryong Ryoo, Jeongho Kim, Hyotcherl Ihee & Shin-ichi Adachi(2015). Direct observation of bond formation in solution with femtosecond X-ray scattering. Nature. Published online. DOI: 10.1038/nature14163 (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v518/n7539/full/nature14163.html)
-For Media Contact
Mr. Shi Bo Shim, Head of Department of Communications, Institute for Basic Science (+82-42-878-8189;sibo@ibs.re.kr) or Ms. Sunny Kim, Department of Communications, Institute for Basic Science (+82-42-878-8135;Sunnykim@ibs.re.kr)
-About Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
The IBS was founded in 2011 by the government of the Republic of Korea. With the sole purpose of driving forward the development of basic science in Korea, IBS will be comprised of a total of 50 research centers in all fields of basic science, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, life science, earth science and interdisciplinary science. IBS has launched 24 research centers as of January 2015. There is one mathematics, eight physics, six chemistry, seven life science, and two interdisciplinary research centers.