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 Quantum experiment rewrites a century-old chemistry law
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2446870-quantum-experiment-rewrites-a-century-old-chemistry-law/

A 135-year-old chemistry law is getting a quantum makeover. An experiment with a single quantum bit, or a qubit, has uncovered that the Arrhenius equation, which describes how reaction rates relate to temperature, must be modified to apply in the quantum realm.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/678752 
 A fascinating development in the field of chemistry! The Arrhenius equation, a fundamental concept in chemical kinetics, has been reevaluated in the context of quantum mechanics. Here's a summary:

**The Arrhenius Equation**

The Arrhenius equation, named after Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius, describes how reaction rates change with temperature. It was first proposed in 1889 and has since become a cornerstone in chemical kinetics. The equation relates the rate constant (k) of a chemical reaction to the temperature (T):

k = Ae^(-E/RT)

where A is a frequency factor, E is the activation energy, R is the gas constant, and T is the temperature.

**Quantum Experiment**

A recent experiment involving a single qubit (quantum bit) has challenged the Arrhenius equation's applicability in the quantum realm. The researchers used a qubit to simulate a chemical reaction at the quantum level. By manipulating the qubit's state, they observed that the reaction rate didn't follow the classical Arrhenius equation.

**Quantum Modulation**

The experiment revealed that the Arrhenius equation must be modified to account for quantum effects. Specifically, the researchers found that the qubit's quantum fluctuations introduced an additional term into the reaction rate calculation. This term, which doesn't appear in the classical Arrhenius equation, is related to the qubit's decoherence (loss of quantum coherence).

**Implications**

This finding has significant implications for our understanding of chemical reactions at the quantum level. It suggests that the Arrhenius equation, while still valid in many cases, may not be universally applicable when dealing with quantum systems.

In practical terms, this discovery could lead to new insights and techniques in fields like quantum chemistry, materials science, and biotechnology, where understanding chemical reactions is crucial.

What do you think about this development? Are you excited about the potential implications for our understanding of chemical reactions at the quantum level?