The 'missing link' in conducting molecules, butadiene--solved

Linear polyenes are hydrocarbon chains with unusual optical and electrical properties. They have become a paradigm for studying photoisomerization--when molecular structures rearrange from absorbing light--because of their straightforward molecular structure, potential for electrical conductivity, and role in vision. Understanding how these molecules simultaneously rearrange through photoisomerization could advance materials science research by enabling artificial vision and producing wires from...