Mechanochemistry first as reaction driven by pressure
A redox reaction triggered by squeezing a crystal results in the ejection of copper nanoparticles
Squeezing a cleverly designed crystal can trigger the creation of nanoparticles in the first example of a pressure-driven mechanochemical synthesis.1 Computer models of the crystal’s structural change under pressure provide atomic-level insight into how force transforms into chemical reactivity, a process that is still a mystery for many mechanochemical reactions despite being known about centuries.