Extremely short-lived reaction resonances in Cl + HD ( v = 1) → DCl + H due to chemical bond softening

Abstract

A few very brief pauses in the action Chemical reactions proceed by the cumulative effect of trillions upon trillions of collisions between atoms and molecules. Usually, a given collision bounces the participants right back out again, either in their original form or with the atoms shuffled around into distinct products. In certain cases, the reacting partners experience a brief lull, termed a resonance, before they rearrange. Yang et al. report the discovery of particularly short-lived resonances in certain reactive collisions of chlorine atoms with vibrationally excited hydrogen deuteride (HD). Their results suggest that similar, as yet overlooked, resonances may lurk in other reactions of vibrationally excited molecules. Science , this issue p. 60