Communication: Electronic flux induced by crossing the transition state

Abstract

We present a new effect of chemical reactions, e.g., isomerizations, that occurs when the reactants pass along the transition state, on the way to products. It is based on the well-known fact that at the transition state, the electronic structure of one isomer changes to the other. We discover that this switch of electronic structure causes a strong electronic flux that is well distinguishable from the usual flux of electrons that travel with the nuclei. As a simple but clear example, the effect is demonstrated here for bond length isomerization of Na2 (21Σ+u), with adiabatic crossing the barrier between the inner and outer wells of the double minimum potential that support different “Rydberg” and “ionic” type electronic structures, respectively.