Observing a molecule stretch and bend in real-time

Phys.org  April 9, 2019 In 2016 an international team of researchers (Spain, Poland, USA – Kansas State University, Germany) achieved the required spatial and temporal resolution to take snapshots of molecular dynamics without missing any events. Now the group has observed the structural bending and stretching of the triatomic molecular compound carbon disulphide, CS2. They reported that the ultrafast modifications in the molecular structure are driven by changes in the electronic structure of the molecule. This effect is key for important triatomic molecules such as CS2, since it can determine specific chemical reactions in the Earth’s atmosphere that could, for […]