Theory vindicated as infrared laser drives up reaction's speed by 24%

Energetics (in kcal mol−1) and geometries for the reaction of PHI with CH-ol in THF for reactant

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Reaction efficiency could be improved by exploiting vibrational excitation

A chemical reaction has been sped up simply by using pulses of infrared (IR) light to excite molecular vibrations. The approach could replace the need for heat in some thermally driven reactions, making them more efficient, as well as offering a new cost-effective photolithography technique.