Unprecedented simultaneous quantum tunnelling reaction discovered

Two conformers of the same molecule react independently to form a different rearrangement product rather than taking the much lower energy barrier pathway of interconverting into the other conformer, chemists have discovered. The unprecedented process, entirely controlled by quantum tunnelling, ‘is completely breaking the classic transition state rules’, says study leader Cláudio Nunes from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Understanding what and how tunnelling controls chemical reactivity could be ‘a game changer for selectivity’, Nunes asserts.