Abstract
Using electrospray ion beam deposition, we collide the complex molecule Reichardt's dye (C_{41}H_{30}NO^{+}) at low, hyperthermal translational energy (2-50eV) with a Cu(100) surface and image the outcome at single-molecule level by scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe bond-selective reaction induced by the translational kinetic energy. The collision impulse compresses the molecule and bends specific bonds, prompting them to react selectively. This dynamics drives the system to seek thermally inaccessible reactive pathways, since the compression timescale (subpicosecond) is much shorter than the thermalization timescale (nanosecond), thereby yielding reaction products that are unobtainable thermally.
Highlights
Using electrospray ion beam deposition, we collide the complex molecule Reichardt’s dye (C41H30NOþ) at low, hyperthermal translational energy (2–50 eV) with a Cu(100) surface and image the outcome at single-molecule level by scanning tunneling microscopy
Chemistry is concerned with the manipulation of bonds between atoms with the goal to use chemical reactions to form desired substances
Attractive because translational energy of a molecular ion is readily achieved by acceleration in an electric field
Summary
Using electrospray ion beam deposition, we collide the complex molecule Reichardt’s dye (C41H30NOþ) at low, hyperthermal translational energy (2–50 eV) with a Cu(100) surface and image the outcome at single-molecule level by scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe bond-selective reaction induced by the translational kinetic energy.
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