Analyzing bottlenecks in chemical reactions His goal is to
determine with greater accuracy the nature of the bottlenecks,
ultimately providing scientists with a far greater comprehension
of important reactions, allowing the researchers to better
control them. Fields that are expected to benefit from this
research range from atmospheric chemistry to automotive engine
design. When it comes to understanding the spectrum of chemical
reactions, King says highly accurate data are needed for just a
few key reactions. "Just as there are multiple routes that will
get you from UB to Kleinhans Music Hall near downtown Buffalo,
there are multiple ways to get from reactants to products,"
explains King. "Molecules may encounter minor traffic jams while
approaching and leaving the bottleneck, but these are of little
importance compared with the time it takes to get through the
one particular elementary reaction that has a high-energy
barrier: the bottleneck itself." Identifying accurate rates for
these key reactions, which