Chemists reconsider the impact of through-space effects

An image showing molecular electrostatic potentials map

Source: © Sason Shaik/The Hebrew University Jerusalem

Through-space electrostatic effects are shown to be dominant in certain radical reactions, where previously through-bond interactions were thought to determine reaction rate

Researchers in Israel investigating the reactivity of distonic radical ions have shown that through-space interactions have a far greater effect on reactivity than previously thought.