New Insights into Hydrated Electrons

Sometimes, it pays to think small. By observing how a single electron behaves amid a cluster of water molecules, a team of scientists has gained a better understanding of a fundamental process that drives a myriad of biological and chemical phenomena, such as the formation of reactive molecules in the body that can cause disease.

The researchers, led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Chemical Sciences Division Director Daniel Neumark, used an extremely fast imaging technique to observe an excited electron, surrounded by several dozen water molecules, relax back to its original energy state. This journey occurred much more quickly than one theory predicts, lending credence to an opposing theory and helping to solve a longstanding puzzle in the world of hydrated electrons.

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All News summaries for September 23, 2004