Driving chemical reactions by remote control
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Students learn in high school that molecules must be in contact to react chemically. But what if that`s not always true? It`s that idea, which challenges textbook `laws,` a team of theorists explored. They showed that even though it is in a completely different container from reactants, a catalyst could make a reaction happen. That is, a catalyst caused nitrous acid to change shape without touching it. The team`s theory challenges conventional wisdom about what it takes to make a reaction happen.