Something as simple as the motion of water drops on surfaces should actually be understood - one would think. In fact there are still numerous unanswered questions about the forces acting on a sliding droplet. Scientists have now discovered that in addition to surface energy and viscous friction within the droplet, electrostatics also play a significant role.
The extraction of deuterium from its natural isotope mixture has so far been complex and expensive. With a porous MOF material, this could soon be done more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Chemical syntheses in liquids and gases take place in three-dimensional space. Random collisions between molecules have to result in something new in an extremely short time. But there is another way: on a gold surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, molecules lying still next to each other can be made to combine - even those that would never want to react with each other in a liquid.
