Solvation of single sodium ion tracked in real time

By Jamie Durrani2023-11-14T14:30:00

Source: © Simon H Albrechtsen et al/Springer Nature Limited 2023

First steps of solvation monitored as single sodium ions dissolve in helium droplets

For the first time, researchers have monitored a solute ion binding to its surrounding solvent. The experiments could offer a route towards being able to track important transformations like cation–molecule complex formation in real time.