Ahmed Zewail and Femtochemistry

Ahmed Zewail flashed lasers at molecules in bursts of femtoseconds, a millionth of a billionth of a second. For the first time chemists watched bonds break and form in real time, the heart of every reaction. The femtosecond movies earned the 1999 chemistry Nobel Prize. Born in Egypt, he became a science envoy and advocate for research in the Arab world..

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