Basic chemical exchange processes have been observed directly for the first time.

During chemical reactions there are complex underlying processes that determine when bonds between molecules break or form. Now, a team of scientists in Austria led by Professor Rudolf Grimm have managed to control these processes, allowing the reactions to be directly observed.

To do this they took a cesium gas compsed of both atoms and molecules, cooled it down to one millionth of a Kelvin above absoloute zero and trapped it in a confined space. They then applied a microwave pulse and a magnetic field. This allowed them to control the energy at which exchange reactions within the gas occurred.

Due to this control, when an exchange reaction happened the energy released was very low, so the products of the reaction remained trapped, this was the key in allowing the whole process to be observed from start to finish.

This ability to directly observe the process will help scientists to understand why and how it happens outside of the lab. "A totally new field of research opens up, which promises possibilities to study diverse chemical reactions in a controlled way" explains Grimm.