Microscopy advances could allow unprecedented look at chemical reactions

At the atomic level, chemistry is a whirlwind of activity. But our view of this fascinating world is mostly static. Scientists have to infer the details of chemical reactions from still images, experimental results and simulations that fill in the gaps. Now, scientists from the University of Illinois Chicago and other institutions are collaborating on new electron microscopy techniques to create a movie studio for chemical reactions. The Center for Multimodal Observations for Single Atom Imaging of Chemistry, or MOSAIC, was funded this fall through a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation. UIC will receive $270,000 from the award. The collaboration, part of the NSF Centers for Chemical Innovation program, will create “liquid cells” that allow scientists to set up, control and measure chemical reactions under a microscope like never before. The researchers will use powerful, state-of-the-art electron microscopes at UIC to capture these reactions in motion, providing fresh insight into atomic and molecular dynamics.