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Direct Observation Of Chemical Reactions

Posted by timothy on from the look-very-very-closely dept.

Mouth of Sauron writes "I saw on C|net that researchers with IBM have devised a way to directly observe chemical reactions as they occur in a liquid with an electron microscope. Frances Ross of IBM was awarded the Burton Medal by the Microscopy Society of America. Researchers say this could lead to a better understanding of chemical reactions and could have impact far beyond the computer industry."

5 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. quantum interfearence by JDizzy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Would the use of electron bombardment cause the classical quantum conundrum where direct observation of particles affects their quantum state, and I suppose their non-quantum existance? I'm actually suprised this hasn't happened already. Electron microscopes normally have to look at very still stuff, and a chemical recation isn't still by any measure. But photographing moving stuff would seem to be the next logical step (still pictures, motion pictures). I'd like to see some microscopic movies of fire (combustion) in action! ;)

    --
    It isn't a lie if you belive it.
  2. Re:quantum interference by jwdg · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I suspect that it would be a problem in some cases - their example (clustering of metal atoms) is possibly less sensitive to excess electrons passing through than some others might be. I'm not sure that it's necessarily quantum interference either.

    The other thing worth mentioning is that depending on the process you're observing, the 1 frame/30 seconds offered by competitor technologies may not really be a problem. Some reactions are slow! (About 10-15 years ago, the oxidisation of Si(111) 7x7 was one of the questions that people were interested in, and you could slow down the process by letting the oxygen into your vacuum chamber more slowly.)

    Also, bear in mind that electron transmission is only one thing you might want to measure - atomic force microscopes and scanning tunnelling microscopes measure surface properties (e.g. STMs measure the local density of electon states). Now if they can just get the scanning faster....

    This is still interesting stuff. Some day when I get bored, I'll build myself an STM...

  3. Re:quantum interference by rhombic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Some day when I get bored, I'll build myself an STM...

    You mean like here?

    --
    1984 was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.
  4. beyond? by Transcendent · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Researchers say this could lead to a better understanding of chemical reactions and could have impact far beyond the computer industry."

    Since when did all science work in the favor of just the computer industry? You make it sound like we apply all new knowledge and then worry about the rest afterward. I would think that the computer industry would be one of the last to benefit. FIRST you would go through cleaner chemical processing, better-made biodegradable materials, more advanced propulsion systems (more efficient, really), better food processing, stronger materials.... and then maybe someone will apply this to semiconductors.

    The most obvious applications do not envolve computers... I hope everyone else here has a more open mind.

  5. silicon nitride? by js7a · · Score: 3, Interesting
    ...transmission microscopes--which shoot electrons through micron-thin samples of materials and then form an image from data about the resulting paths of the electrons--depend on placing the sample in a strong vacuum. That's fine for observing reactions between solids and gases, but it doesn't work for reactions with or inside liquids.

    "In ordinary circumstances, the liquid would just boil away," Ross said.

    Biological samples viewed under a transmission electron microscope have to be initially dehydrated, which can change their shape.

    To get around that problem, IBM devised a cell chamber that captures a layer of liquid and the elements to be studied between two silicon nitride membranes.

    "You can think of the cell as an extremely sophisticated (microscope) slide," she said.

    How come a silicon nitride membrane strong enough to hold a liquid away from a vacuum doesn't diffract or deflect electrons? Is there something special about silicon nitride that makes it transparent to electrons?

    Neat trick, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to believe it without an explanation. Si3N4 has a dielectric constant of 7.5; what gives?