Ultrafast X-rays reveal how the light-responsive molecular switch azobenzene changes shape
Researchers at KAIST have used ultrafast X-ray technology to observe the structural changes of the light-responsive molecule azobenzene. The study confirms that the molecule changes shape through coordinated nitrogen atom motion rather than previously hypothesized mechanisms.
Why it matters
Understanding these molecular movements is crucial for the development of light-driven molecular machines and advanced materials.
by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Add as preferred source Three previously proposed isomerization mechanisms and the experimental method used in this study. Left: the three hypotheses proposed over the past 50 years, namely rotation, inversion, and hula-twist. Right: the setup of the femtosecond time-resolved X-ray liquidography (solution scattering) experiment used in this study. A pump laser starts the reaction, and X-ray pulses record the structure. Credit: KAIST Azobenzene is one of the best-known molecules that can be switched between two forms by light. However, the question of how the molecule moves in the first few picoseconds (trillionths of a second) after it absorbs light has remained unresolved for nearly 50 years.
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