Chemistry's Curly Arrow Hits 100

Authors

Abhik Ghosh, The Arctic University of Norway
Carl C. Wamser, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

American Scientist

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

11-2022

Abstract

The simple visual aid has illustrated the inner workings of chemical reactions for a century, and it’s still pointing the way to fresh discoveries.

Scientists love to create simple tools to cut through complexity. Biologists use just four letters to codify genetic information. Isaac Newton and others developed calculus to describe continuously changing variables. Physicists use vectors to express physical laws in compact form. In the molecular world, chemists follow reactions by tracking electrons using . . . little curly arrows. Modern chemistry is brimming with these dynamic darts, and using them well is a badge of honor that chemists wear proudly.

Rights

© 2022 Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society

Locate the Document

https://www.americanscientist.org/article/chemistrys-curly-arrow-hits-100

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/38660

Citation Details

Ghosh, A., and Wamser, C. (2022). Chemistry's Curly Arrow Hits 100. American Scientist, Volume 110: Number 6.