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Chemistry at the Uncertainty Limit
Author(s) -
Zewail Ahmed H.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3773(20011203)40:23<4371::aid-anie4371>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - section (typography) , obstacle , chemistry , epistemology , nanotechnology , theoretical physics , philosophy , physics , computer science , materials science , political science , law , operating system
Spatial and temporal resolution with, until recently, an unimaginable precision—about 0.01 Å and 10 fs, respectively—are today possible thanks to femtochemistry. However, this atomic‐scale resolution raises fundamental questions from quantum mechanics: the Uncertainty Paradox. How is it that this is not an obstacle, and what are the future directions? are the themes of this Essay.