Femtochemistry

Femtochemistry is like playing with tiny toys that are so small that only a few of them can fit on the head of a pin. But instead of toys, we are playing with really, really, really small particles called molecules. These molecules are so small and move so fast that we can't see them with our eyes, but we can use special cameras that are really good at taking pictures really quickly.

Now imagine if we could take a picture of these molecules every few billionths of a second. This would give us a special movie that shows us what happens when these molecules react with each other. This movie is called a "reaction pathway," and it tells us all about the different steps that happen when two or more molecules interact with each other.

Scientists who study femtochemistry can use this movie to learn about how chemical reactions happen on a very, very small scale. This can help us make new medicines or create new materials that are stronger, lighter, or more flexible than anything we have now.

So, in short, femtochemistry is playing with really small molecules and taking pictures of them really fast, so we can learn about how chemical reactions happen on a tiny scale.