Chemistry's Curly Arrow Hits 100
By Abhik Ghosh, Carl Wamser
The simple visual aid has illustrated the inner workings of chemical reactions for a century, and it’s still pointing the way to fresh discoveries.
The simple visual aid has illustrated the inner workings of chemical reactions for a century, and it’s still pointing the way to fresh discoveries.
Scientists love to create simple tools to cut through complexity. Biologists use just four letters to codify genetic information. Isaac Newton and others developed calculus to describe continuously changing variables. Physicists use vectors to express physical laws in compact form. In the molecular world, chemists follow reactions by tracking electrons using . . . little curly arrows. Modern chemistry is brimming with these dynamic darts, and using them well is a badge of honor that chemists wear proudly.
The Royal Society of Chemistry
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