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Published online 21 March 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news070319-8
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How to rip apart molecules
Brute force added to the list of ways to do clever chemistry.
Here's a new trick for making molecules — chemists have succeeded in literally ripping the bonds between atoms apart, rather than using the usual suspects of heat, pressure, light or electricity to drive a chemical reaction.
The clever experiment proves that mechanical forces can activate reactions in a controlled way, and so could open up a whole new avenue for synthetic chemists to explore.
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