Meeting Reviews
description of molecular bonds. How-
Quantum Mechanics and
Chemistry: The Relevance of
Nonlocality and Entangle-
ment for Molecules**
Aris Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann* and
Markus Arndt*
The predictions of quantum physics
often seem to contradict the intuitive,
and apparently reasonable, assumptions
about how the world should behave as
described by classical physics. However,
until now all quantum predictions could
been confirmed on the microscopic
scale. The main goal of the recently
established EU research and training
network QUACS[1] is to explore, to test,
and to control the “strange” quantum
properties of nonlocality, entanglement,
and decoherence, and to apply these
features to complex systems including
large molecules and even condensed
matter. Two topics of the workshop
will be discussed herein.
Chemists adopted the notion of
delocalized wave functions of electrons
some decades ago, for example, in the
[*] Prof. Dr. A. Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann
Institut fr Chemie, Stranski-Laboratorium
Technische Universit t Berlin
Strasse des 17. Juni 112, 10623 Berlin
(Germany)
Ao. Univ. Prof. Dr. M. Arndt
Institut fr Experimentalphysik
Universit t Wien
Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Wien (Austria)
[**] The 2nd Workshop on “Entanglement and
Decoherence of Complex Quantum Sys-
tems”, Erwin Schr,dinger Institute,
Vienna, September 5 – 7, 2003. The work-
shop took place within the frame of the EU
network QUACS (Quantum Complex Sys-
tems).
144 6 2004 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
regarded as strictly localized before it
ever, the relevance of quantum physics
to chemistry goes far beyond what is
generally taught in chemistry textbooks.
The significance of nonlocality on the
macromolecular scale was already dem-
onstrated in a diffraction experiment
with fullerene molecules in 1999.[2] The
development of new matter-wave inter-
ferometers[3] has now allowed clear
evidence of the de Broglie wave nature
of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP)
and of the fluorofullerene C60F48 to be
obtained (Figure 1).[4] TPP (C44H30N4,
614 g mol 1) was the first organic mole-
cule shown to have quantum wave
nature. The porphyrin core is also
found as a structural element of many
complex biological structures, such as
hemoglobin and chlorophyll. With
respect to interferometry it is interesting
to note that TPP has a very flexible
structure with a low degree of symmetry,
so that it might decohere more easily
than the rigid and compact fullerenes.
With 108 atoms C60F48 (1632 g mol 1) is
currently the most compact and most
complex molecule for which the inter-
ference of matter waves could be shown.
Interference experiments are carried
out in a vacuum chamber to avoid the
loss of molecules and interference visi-
bility.[3–5] The molecular beams are cre-
ated by sublimation in an oven (TTP:
690 K, C60F48 560 K). The molecules
travel with velocities of 100 – 200 m s 1,
that is, with de Broglie wavelengths of
about 2 – 5 pm, and traverse three gold
gratings with a grating period of about
990 nm and open gaps of about 470 nm.
Although every molecule may still be
Figure 1. It can be shown with the aid of this interferometer that even large molecules have wave
features. Grating 3 is moved by a distance d perpendicular to the beam.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200320079
enters the interferometer, the first gra-
ting prepares the transverse coherence
required and delocalizes each molecule
over more than 1 mm at the second
grating, that is, over two grating periods
or over more than 1000 times the
diameter of the molecule. Interference
behind the second grating then leads to
a molecular density pattern (interfer-
ence fringes), which can be scanned with
the third grating. Interference persists as
long as each interfering molecule is well
isolated from the environment. How-
ever, collisions with background gases in
the apparatus entangle the interfering
molecules with the gas and thus lead to a
gradual suppression of quantum inter-
ference.[5]
The second topic of the workshop to
be discussed herein concerns the sub-
femtosecond entanglement of protons
with adjacent particles, such as other
protons or electrons. Entanglement is a
purely quantum-mechanical phenom-
enon, which can not be accounted for
by classical mechanics. It has been
investigated with a new technique of
neutron Compton scattering (NCS)[6–8]
and, most recently, with electron – pro-
ton Compton scattering (ECS).[8, 9]
These novel experimental techniques
open up the time window for investiga-
tion of the quantum dynamics of protons
and thus reveal dramatic quantum
effects on the attosecond scale.[5–8] Sev-
eral years ago a surprisingly low proton-
scattering intensity was observed in
NCS experiments on water molecules.[6]
This effect was also found in a great
variety of materials, such as organic
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 144 – 145

liquids, polymers, amphiphiles, and
metal hydrides. Apparently the hydro-
gen nuclei in all these compounds are
sometimes “invisible” to the neutron
probes. This effect on the attosecond
scale could be confirmed by using an
independent method, namely ECS. In
the investigation of a solid polymer at
room temperature, the electron experi-
ments (Australian National University,
Canberra, Australia) showed the same
decreased intensity as complementary
neutron experiments (ISIS neutron spal-
lation source, UK).[8–9] The agreement of
the results is surprising because the two
projectiles (electrons and neutrons)
interact with protons through funda-
mentally different forces—electromag-
netic and strong interactions, respec-
tively. As a result of the large energy
transfer, these experiments can also be
used to study elementary chemical reac-
tions on the attosecond timescale, in
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 144 – 145
particular cleavage of the covalent C H
bond.
The results described herein also
imply that, in contrast to the popular
view among chemists, atomic nuclei can
not always be considered as classical
mass points.
[1] Coordinator: G. Kurizki, Weizmann Insti-
tute, www.weizmann.ac.il/chemphys/ger-
shon/quacs/quacs.html
[2] M. Arndt, O. Nairz, J. Voss-Andreae, C.
Keller, G. van der Zouw, A. Zeilinger,
Nature 1999, 401, 680.
[3] B. Brezger, L. HackermHller, S.
Uttenthaler, J. Petschinka, M. Arndt, A.
Zeilinger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2002, 88,
100 404.
[4] L. HackermHller, S. Uttenthaler, K.
Hornberger, E. Reiger, B. Brezger, A.
Zeilinger, M. Arndt, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2003,
91, 090408.
www.angewandte.org
Angewandte
Chemie
Meeting Reviews in Angewandte
Chemie are meant to offer a view of
the current state of a field rather than a
comprehensive list of lectures. Authors
are invited to describe what they feel
were the most interesting contribu-
tions.
[5] K. Hornberger, S. Uttenthaler, B.
Brezger, L. HackermHller, M. Arndt, A.
Zeilinger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 2003, 90,
160401.
[6] C. A. Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann, T.
Abdul Redah, R. M. F. Streffer, J.
Mayers, Phys. Rev. Lett. 1997, 79, 2839.
[7] C. A. Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann, T.
Abdul-Redah, B. Kolarić, J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2001, 123, 11 945.
[8] C. A. Chatzidimitriou-Dreismann, M.
Vos, C. Kleiner, T. Abdul-Redah, Phys.
Rev. Lett. 2003, 91, 057403.
[9] “Entangled Protons in a Solid Polymer”,
Physics Today 2003, 56 (9), 9.
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