Direct observation of chemical bond formation process using an ultrafast pulsed X-ray

Abstract

In this study, we used an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) to visualize in real time the covalent bond formation process between gold and gold atoms excited by light. The X-ray molecular movies measured by time-resolved X-ray solution scattering showed that it is possible to follow the structural changes induced by photochemical reactions in solution in detail and in real time.