Modern Science: Dr. Ahmed Zewail on Femtochemistry
Hey everyone,
Found this interesting article on modern scientific work: Dr. Ahmed Zewail was the first scientist to record molecular chemical reactions, thus establishing the field of femtochemistry and in 1999 he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Femtochemistry is the study of microscopic chemical reactions taking place under an extremely short period of time – a femtosecond (one millionth of a billionth of a second). Dr. Zewail began his career studying coherence, which is instrumental in predicting chemical reactions and from there moved on to chemical bonds. He developed a laser camera that could take pictures of molecules at the moment of breaking or forming bonds. The Swedish Academy of Sciences and Nobel Prize committee noted the ramifications of his discoveries as, ‘enabling scientists to see, understand and predict the movement of atoms and chemical reactions’.
The article goes on to mention that, “in 2009, his career will come full circle when he is named one of the first three “scientist-diplomats” in the United States’ new Science Envoy program, aimed at forging scientific and technological partnerships in the Muslim world to help meet global challenges in health, energy, the environment and water and resource management.”
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201001/the.world.s.fastest.scientist.htm
Hope you enjoy!