Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Synthesis and Purification of Iodoaziridines Involving Quantitative Selection of the Optimal Stationary Phase for Chromatography
Published on: May 16, 2014
Electronic strong coupling of gas-phase molecular iodine
Jane C Nelson1, Trevor H Wright1, Neo Lin1
1Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
None:
Molecular polaritons, hybrid light-matter states formed from the strong coupling of molecular transitions and discrete photonic modes, are a compelling platform for optical control of chemical reactivity. Despite the origins of the field of polaritonics in atomic gases, strong coupling of molecular gases remains underexplored. The pristine, solvent-free gas-phase environment may prove ideal for gaining mechanistic understanding of molecular behavior under strong light-matter coupling. In this work, we achieve electronic strong coupling of the B-X, ν1 = 0 → 32, J = 53 → 52 and B-X, ν1 = 0 → 34, J = 103 → 102 rovibronic transitions of gas-phase iodine (I2) lying near 532.2 nm. We access a range of coupling strengths and detuning conditions with fine control over molecular number density and cavity length stabilization. This effort represents the first demonstration of electronic polaritons in a molecular gas and opens a new platform for polariton photochemistry and photophysics.
More Related Videos
06:44From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
09:54Chemoselective Preparation of 1-Iodoalkynes, 1,2-Diiodoalkenes, and 1,1,2-Triiodoalkenes Based on the Oxidative Iodination of Terminal Alkynes
Published on: September 12, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene
Predicting Molecular Geometry
Molecular Orbital Theory II
Spin–Spin Coupling Constant: Overview
Qualitatively, any spin plus-half nucleus polarizes the spins of its electrons to the minus-half state. Consequently, the paired electron in the hydrogen–carbon bond must have a...
Intermolecular Forces
Intermolecular Forces