Czech scientists first in world to observe an inhomogeneous electron charge distribution on an atom

Czech scientists have presented the world’s first method of observing the non-uniform electron charge distribution around halogen atoms, the journal Science reported on Friday.

In observing an inhomogeneous electron charge distribution around a halogen atom, they have confirmed the existence of a phenomenon that had been predicted in theory but never directly observed.

The breakthrough will facilitate understanding of interactions between atoms and molecules, as well as of chemical reactions. That opens a path to refining material and structural properties of various physical, biological, and chemical systems.

The discovery came from an extensive interdisciplinary collaboration.

Taking part were scientists from the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute of Palacký University Olomouc, the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and the IT4Inovations Supercomputing Center at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava.