Helicopter or Cartwheel? How Molecules Rotate Is Crucial (VIDEO)
Caption
Two molecules approach a surface. The red one is rotating like a helicopter with respect to the surface and the green one is rotating like a cart wheel. Researchers at Swansea University have shown that the orientation of the molecule is important in determining what happens in the collision. The two molecules will interact differently with the surface atoms and electrons, experience different forces and have a different probability to scatter, adsorb or decompose.
Credit
Gil Alexandrowicz/Swansea University
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