Skipping Atomic-scale Stones to Study Some Chemistry Basics

Thought experiment: a carbon dioxide molecule—think of a cheerleader`s baton—comes slanting in at high speed over a dense liquid, strikes the surface and ricochets. How does it tumble? Fast or slow? Forward, backward or sideways? These are not idle questions because simple events like the tumbling molecule go to the heart of the chemistry and physics of gas-liquid interactions. These cover a broad swath of important chemical processes—including breathing—for which details of the encounter are just coming into view.

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