Time scales global reaction dynamics

At the beginning of this decade, Zewail and coworkers reported a fundamental work of solvation effect on a proton transfer reaction [195]. a-naphthol and n-ammonia molecules were studied in real-time for the reaction dynamics on the number of solvent molecules involved in the proton transfer reaction from alcohol towards the ammonia base. Nanosecond dynamics was observed for n=l and 2, while no evidence for proton transfer was found. For n=3 and 4, proton transfer reaction was measured at pisosecond time scale. The nanosecond dynamics appears to be related to the global cluster behavior. The idea of a critical solvation number required to onset proton transfer... 

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