Fig. 4: Colloidal cyclopentane ring-opening reaction.
From: Revealing pseudorotation and ring-opening reactions in colloidal organic molecules
A, B Thermal ring-opening of free colloidal cyclopentane. A Three-dimensional reconstruction of a dissociating ring just before (left) and just after breaking the bond between the blue particles (right). Particle diameter is 3.7 μm. B Top: examples of ring configurations just before breaking (circles) and corresponding breaking points (radial lines) in q–ϕ space. Bottom: breaking points in schematic representation, with colours indicating braking position. Colour coding matches the q–ϕ coordinates above. C, D Catalytic ring-opening of colloidal cyclopentane on an attractive (hydrophobic) surface. C Three-dimensional reconstruction of the ring shown before (left) and after breaking the bond between the purple particles (right). The bright patches are attached to the surface. D Time sequence of the surface diffusion and eventual breaking of the bond between the purple particles of the surface-bound ring.
