The illumination of molecular behavior by electron waves

Abstract

Aspects of vapor-phase electron diffraction are discussed, singling out the seminal contributions of Yonezo Morino in collaboration with San-ichiro Mizushima and others. Recent developments leading to a precision approaching 0.0002A are sketched, explaining why accuracy tends to fall short of this by one or two orders of magnitude, even if experimental intensities are error-free. The role of electron diffraction in studies of rotational isomerism is then outlined, with emphasis on hydrocarbon systems, to illustrate how experimental results have led to improved understanding, useful predictive procedures, and a new approach to probe the dynamics of internal rotation.