Femtochemistry: Ultrafast Dynamics Of The Chemical Bond, 2 Volume Set

by Ahmed H. Zewail

These two volumes on Femtochemistry present a timely contribution to a field central to the understanding of the dynamics of the chemical bond. This century has witnessed great strides in time and space resolutions, down to the atomic scale, providing chemists, biologists and physicists with unprecedented opportunities for seeing microscopic structures and dynamics. Femtochemistry is concerned with the time resolution of the most elementary motions of atoms during chemical change - bond breaking and bond making - on the femtosecond (10-15 second) time scale. This atomic scale of time resolution has now reached the ultimate for the chemical bond and as Lord George Porter puts it, chemists are near the end of the race against time. These two volumes cover the general concepts, techniques and applications of femtochemistry. Professor Ahmed Zewail, who has made the pioneering contributions in this field, has from over 250 publications selected the articles for this anthology. These volumes begin with a commentary and a historical chronology of the milestones. He then presents a broad perspective of the current state of knowledge in femtochemistry by researchers around the world and discusses possible new directions. In the words of a colleague, "it is a must on the reading-list for all of my students...all readers will find this to be an informative and valuable overview." The introductory articles in Volume I provide reviews for both the non-experts as well as for experts in the field. This is followed by papers on the basic concepts. For applications, elementary reactions are studied first and then complex reactions. Volume I is complete with studies of solvation dynamics, non-reactive systems, ultrafast electron diffraction and the control of chemical reactions. Volume II continues with reaction rates, the concept of elementary intramolecular vibrational-energy redistribution (IVR) and the phenomena of rotational coherence which has bec

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1994

About the author

(Arabic: أحمد زويل)

Ahmed Zewail is the Linus Pauling Chair professor of chemistry and physics, and director of the Center for Physical Biology at Caltech. He is the sole recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize for the development of the field of Femtochemistry. In the post-Nobel era, he developed 4D Electron Microscopy for the direct visualization of matter in space and time. Dr. Zewail’s other honors include fifty Honorary Degrees, Orders of Merits, Postage Stamps and more than hundred international awards. He has published some 600 articles and 14 books and is known for his effective public lectures and writings, not only on science but also in global affairs. For his leadership role in these world affairs, he received, among others, the “Top American Leaders Award” from The Washington Post and Harvard University. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed him to the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and in the same year he was named the first U.S. Science Envoy to the Middle East. Subsequently, the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon invited Dr. Zewail to join the UN Scientific Advisory Board. In Egypt, he serves in the Council of Advisors to the President. Following the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the government established “Zewail City of Science and Technology” as the national project for scientific renaissance, and Dr. Zewail became its first Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

http://www.zewail.caltech.edu/biograp...