reactant

This process involves destabilizing one of the aromatic rings in quinoline, using light and sometimes a catalyst, so that a reactant can 'latch' onto the ring, forming the target compound.

Furthermore, the use of conventional thin-film catalysts often results in inadequate separation of hydrogen bubbles, leading to blockages in the catalyst's active sites or hindering reactant movement, ultimately diminishing process efficiency.

"If you're doing a catalytic reaction, the molecules of the substance you're looking to transform will interact with the aluminum oxide layer rather than with the aluminum metal core, but that metallic nanocrystal core is uniquely able to absorb light very efficiently and convert it into energy, while the oxide layer fulfills the role of a reactor, transferring that energy to reactant molecules," Bayles said.

"If you want to etch silicon while leaving a smooth surface, you should use another reactant than fluorine. It should be a reactant that etches uniformly all crystalline planes," Barsukov said.

"The transition state helps to determine the likelihood of a chemical transformation happening. If we have a lot of something that we don't want, like carbon dioxide, and we'd like to convert it to a useful fuel like methanol, the transition state and how favorable that is determines how likely we are to get from the reactant to the product," Kulik says.