GAS-PHASE REACTIONS AT LOW-TEMPERATURES - TOWARDS ABSOLUTE-ZERO

Very recently, methods have been developed for studying the rates of c hemical reactions between electrically neutral species in the gas phas e at temperatures as low as 13 K. Here we review this exciting develop ment in gas-phase chemical kinetics. Emphasis is placed on the importa nce of the information which the experiments have provided, both from the viewpoint of posing new questions about the factors which control chemical reactivity and because of their relevance to the modelling of molecular synthesis in interstellar clouds.