Researchers observe ultrafast chemistry happening in real time

Molecules are not static. Instead, they are having little dance parties — their atoms wiggle and twist around in space. Occasionally, upon receiving a burst of energy, the bonds holding atoms together in a molecule can break and reform with the atoms in a different configuration. While the number of atoms stays the same, the orientation of these atoms determines a molecule's chemical properties — an important part of its identity. In a recent Nature Communications paper, a UW-led team witnessed firsthand, and for the first time, a molecule turning into its "alter ego." The researchers observed a hydrogen atom, also known as a proton, jump to a new position by bonding to a different atom in the same molecule. This process, which happens within a few millionths of billionths of a second, is important for various fundamental processes, including photosynthesis, and when DNA acquires mutations. To understand why, and how, this happens so fast, the researchers developed a new tool that probes molecular structure on an ultrafast timescale. They were able to use this technology to detect how the molecule's wiggles allowed the proton transfer to happen. These findings will help researchers test existing theories about these ultrafast chemical dynamics and develop new molecules for clean energy processes.

For more information, contact senior author Munira Khalil, UW professor of chemistry, at mkhalil@uw.edu.   

Co-authors Somnath Biswas, Jason Sandwisch and Robert Weakly completed this work while at the UW. Funding information is included in the paper.