Relativity and the World of Molecules
By Abhik Ghosh, Kenneth Ruud
Einstein’s revolutionary theory, merged with quantum mechanics by Dirac, permeates chemistry and helps us understand the behavior of heavy elements.
This Article From Issue
May-June 2023
Volume 111, Number 3
Page 160
Mention Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity to people and it commonly conjures up a sci-fi world of time travel and black holes. Relativity also plays a critical, if somewhat less widely known, role in many real-world devices that define modern life—cell phones, TVs, and GPS devices. However, in chemistry—the world of molecules, materials, medicines, and their transformations—relativity is scarcely ever mentioned, especially at the introductory level. Indeed, the word is likely to draw blank stares even among professional chemists. Some well-informed chemists would perhaps point out that the unique color of gold and the liquidity of mercury are manifestations of relativity. A handful may even recall media reports that lead-acid batteries derive some 80 percent of their power from relativistic effects.
QUICK TAKE
- Relativity was long thought to be largely a subject of interest to physicists, and inconsequential to the processes underlying chemical phenomena and reactions.
- Relativity is now recognized as a major factor underlying chemical differences between elements in periods 5 and 6 of the periodic table.
- Exploiting relativistic effects is leading to improved reagents, catalysts, and medical-imaging and therapeutic agents involving heavier elements.
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