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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Scientists have succeeded in 'filming' inter-molecular chemical reactions – using the electron beam of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) as a stop-frame imaging tool [phys.org]. They have also discovered that the electron beam can be simultaneously tuned to stimulate specific chemical reactions by using it as a source of energy as well as an imaging tool.

This research – which shows chemical reactions happening in real time at one hundred-millionth of a centimeter - has the potential to revolutionise the study and development of new materials. It could help answer some of the most fundamental and challenging questions of chemical science; such as how molecules react with each other at the atomistic level; what drives formation of one product instead of another; as well as aid the discovery of brand new chemical reactions.

Using the technique to specifically stimulate certain reactions is especially mind-boggling.

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