Fast Molecular Compression by a Hyperthermal Collision Gives Bond-Selective Mechanochemistry

authored by

Lukas Krumbein, Kelvin Anggara, Martina Stella, Tomasz Michnowicz, Hannah Ochner, Sabine Abb, Gordon Rinke, André Portz, Michael Dürr, Uta Schlickum, Andrew Baldwin, Andrea Floris, Klaus Kern, Stephan Rauschenbach

Abstract

Using electrospray ion beam deposition, we collide the complex molecule Reichardt's dye (C41H30NO+) 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.

External Organisation(s)

Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF)
Imperial College London
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Technische Universität Braunschweig
University of Oxford
University of Lincoln
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Type

Article

Journal

Physical review letters

Volume

126

ISSN

0031-9007

Publication date

01.02.2021

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Physics and Astronomy(all)

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.056001 (Access: Open)