Abstract
Using electrospray ion beam deposition, we collide the complex molecule Reichardt’s dye () 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. 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.
- Received 14 July 2020
- Accepted 7 December 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.056001
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Open access publication funded by the Max Planck Society.
Published by the American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Viewpoint
Selective Bond Breaking with Splat Chemistry
Published 1 February 2021
Colliding a large organic molecule with a surface can break a specific chemical bond in the molecule with surprising precision.
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