Reaction kinetics and dynamics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Radicals are expected to be inactive on metal surfaces. Here the authors describe general intermolecular radical transfer reactions on Ag and Cu surfaces and confirm the reaction mechanism by extensive control experiments.

Aqueous batteries have a short lifespan due to Al current collector corrosion and Li loss from side reactions on the anode. Here, the authors propose a prototype of self-prolonging aqueous Li-ion batteries by introducing hydrolyzation-type anodic additives to regulate Al corrosion-passivation.

The formation of C–H bonds via reaction of small inorganic molecules is of great interest for understanding the transition from inorganic to organic matter, but the detailed mechanisms remain elusive. Here, the authors demonstrate real-time visualization and coherent control of the ultrafast C–H bond formation dynamics in a light-induced bimolecular reaction from inorganic species.

Cobalt-based materials have a wide range of applications from information storage to electromagnetic absorbers in aerospace manufacturing, but the corrosion of cobalt nanosurfaces is poorly explored. Here, the authors combine mass spectrometry and DFT to study gas-phase reactions of Co_n^±/0 (n = 1–30) with water and oxygen and find that only anionic cobalt clusters give rise to water dissociation, whereas the cationic and neutral ones are limited to water adsorption.

Amyloid fibrils are ordered protein assemblies implicated in neurodegenerative disease. Here the authors show that hairpin trimers can be transition states of fibril nucleation, explaining how different fibril isoforms may arise from alternative nucleation sites.

Ethylene oxide is a key platform chemical that is produced industrially from the epoxidation of ethylene on silver catalysts, but the precise mechanism remains elusive. Now, in a joint computational–experimental effort, a phase of the silver catalyst grown on (100) facets that contains square-pyramidal subsurface oxygens and is stabilized by strongly adsorbed ethylene is identified as the active phase, and the mechanism is revealed.

Trans–cis photoisomerization is a fundamental photochemical reaction that is thought to proceed through an intermediate with a perpendicular conformation. However, unambiguous identification of this state has proved challenging. The combination of state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations now provides evidence for its structural observation in stilbene photoisomerization.

When atoms first appeared in the Universe, molecules were needed to help coalesce them into stars. The trihydrogen cation H₃⁺ is among the prime candidates for that process, and now two independent studies provide detailed insight into the ultrafast dynamics of the formation of this important ion from two hydrogen molecules.

Although Li–O₂ batteries offer high theoretical energy storage capacities, few approach these limits. Now, a class of redox mediators is shown to send the discharge reaction from the electrode surface into the electrolyte solution, boosting device capacities and providing selection criteria for future efforts.

Scientists have been studying how polymers break in solutions for decades, but the mechanism by which chains are stretched to the point of covalent bond scission is not trivial. Now, an experiment series provides ample support for a dynamic model in which chains uncoil from end to middle, while concurrently relaxing.

Despite advances, understanding of the quantum state-to-state scattering dynamics between charged ions and neutral molecules at low collision energies remains limited. A high-resolution crossed-beam experiment with quantum state-selected ions prepared by laser photoionization and supporting trajectory surface-hopping calculations now provides insight into the quantum state-to-state collisional dynamics of a model charge-transfer reaction.

A highly stable glass has been prepared by the physical vapour deposition of two materials in equal amounts.