Matrix Isolation: A Technique for the Study of Reactive Inorganic Species

Many chemical species are too reactive under normal conditions to allow normal spectroscopic investigation. The technique of matrix isolation was developed to exploit the stabilisation that arises when the reactive species is physically trapped, restricting its freedom of movement and access to possible reaction partners. The use of cryogenic conditions to achieve the physical trapping brought valuable consequences in reducing the energy available to the species, meaning they can be studies...