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Science 18 July 2003:
Vol. 301. no. 5631, pp. 320 - 321
DOI: 10.1126/science.1087194
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Perspectives

CHEMISTRY:
Snapshots of Water at Work

William H. Robertson, Eric G. Diken, Mark A. Johnson

The behavior of ions in water--an essential aspect of many chemical processes--is usually deduced from highly averaged measurements of viscosity and reaction rate. In their Perspective, Robertson et al. highlight two reports that elucidate the molecular details of such processes. Omta et al. show that a solvated anion only affects the structure of water in its immediate vicinity. And Rini et al. demonstrate how water in the hydration shell of two anions participated in the chemical reaction between the anions. The results should help to test models of aqueous chemistry.

The authors are at the Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. E-mail: mark.johnson{at}yale.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)