Plasmon-assisted click reaction reverses typical relationship between temperature and rate

An image showing a laser beam

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Decrease in temperature seems to extend lifetime of plasma-induced excited states, which increases probability of reaction occurring

Researchers in Czechia have observed an unprecedented inverse relationship between temperature and reaction rate for a plasmon-assisted azide–alkyne cycloaddition, achieving a ten-fold increase in efficiency when they cooled the reaction from room temperature to −35°C.