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Crystals have been made that undergo reactions when compressed. Computational simulations of these processes provide much-needed atomic-level insight into the mechanisms of mechanically induced reactions.
Various energy sources can be used to induce chemical reactions — often heat, but also electricity, light and even ultrasound. But there is another option that has been much less explored: mechanical energy from, for example, grinding reactants together or applying pressure to solids. Mechanochemical reactions have been intensively researched in the past few years, but remain poorly understood at the atomic level. In a paper in Nature, Yan et al.1 provide some much-needed insight into these processes.