The Coldest Known Reaction!

As winter comes into full swing, you may find yourself thing, "WOW it's cold out!" But, have you ever thought about what it would be like to experience temperatures WAY colder than anything you'd feel on Earth? While 0 degrees Fahrenheit (255 Kevlin) may feel frigid to us, that's nothing in comparison to temperatures approaching absolute zero (0 Kelvin)! In reality a human would die long before this temperature, as the lowest body temperature ever recorded in a human that survived was just above 13 degrees celsius (286 Kelvin). However, this temperature of absolute zero is still really interesting to consider, as it is the point that is so cold that all motion would stop (particles at their absolute minimal motion).

While absolute zero is still beyond our capabilities to reach, Ming-Guang Hu and the Ni lab have recently gotten closer than ever to this temperature, performing a reaction at a mere 500 nanokelvin. This is the coldest reaction performed in a laboratory setting to date, and allowed for a groundbreaking observation: the collision of two molecules to form a new molecule.  Using temperatures close to absolute zero allows scientists to slow down molecules to speeds so slow that they can "force" them to interact when they normally wouldn't.

The greater the temperature in a system, the greater the average kinetic energy of the molecules. As kinetic energy decreases, so does the "speed" of the molecules, making them easier to observe in an experiment.

https://i.gifer.com/VB6e.gif

A chemical reaction can occur in a billionth of a second under standard temperature conditions, but the Ni lab now can perform reactions that can be seen for a few microseconds. Although this may still seem short, it may be enough for scientists to learn a lot about bond formation and braking!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191128172339.htm

https://www.livescience.com/6008-person-freeze-death.html