Photochemical Processes Revealed by X-ray Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

After over a decade of development, X-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy has become an increasingly important and common tool in following molecular structures in chemical reactions and to map out structural factors that could influence reaction pathways. The Perspective reviews current achievements and capabilities in chemical dynamics from XTA spectroscopy based mainly on studies by the authors, collaborators, and cousers of the same facility and then outlines some future challenges and impacts in chemical sciences using pulsed X-rays from the third-generation synchrotron and the fourth-generation X-ray free-electron light sources.