Femtochemistry

What was discovered

Using femtosecond laser pulses, he observed in real time the breaking and forming of chemical bonds, capturing the transition states of a reaction. He turned reaction dynamics into an observable phenomenon.

Zewail was born in Damanhur (Egypt) and trained at the University of Alexandria; the work was carried out in the United States. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1999, the first Arab scientist to win a science Nobel.

What it led to

• ultrafast spectroscopy
• 4D electron microscopy
• laser control of reactions

Built on

• Transition state theory1935
• The laser (and maser)1960

📄 Original publication

Links