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Quantum solvent
 
 
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A quantum solvent is essentially a superfluid
Superfluid

Superfluidity is a phase or description of heat capacity in which unusual effects are observed when liquids, typically of helium-4 or helium-3, overcome friction by surface interaction when at a stage at which the liquid's viscosity becomes zero....
 (aka a quantum liquid
Quantum hydrodynamics

Quantum hydrodynamics is more than the study of superfluidity. Some of the main subjects in quantum hydrodynamics are quantum turbulence, quantized vortices, first sound, second sound and third sound, and quantum solvents....
) used to dissolve
Solvation

Solvation, commonly called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute....
 another chemical species
Chemical species

Chemical species are atoms, molecules, molecular fragments, ions, etc., as entities being subjected to a chemical process or to a measurement. Generally, a chemical species can be defined as an ensemble of chemically identical molecular entity that can explore the same set of molecular energy levels on a characteristic or delineated time scal...
. Any superfluid can theoretically act as a quantum solvent, however in practice the only viable superfluid medium that can currently be used is helium-4
Helium

Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert monatomic chemical element that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table and whose atomic number is 2....
, and it has been successfully accomplished in controlled conditions. Such solvents are currently under investigation for use in spectroscopic
Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength . In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g....
 techniques in the field of analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry

Analytical chemistry is the study of the chemical composition of natural and artificial materials. Unlike other major sub disciplines of chemistry such as inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry, analytical chemistry is not restricted to any particular type of chemical compound or chemical reaction....
, due to their superior kinetic properties.

Any matter dissolved (or otherwise suspended) in the superfluid will tend to aggregate together in clumps, encapsulated by a 'quantum solvation shell
Solvation shell

Solvation shell is a shell of any chemical species acting as a solvent, surrounding a solute species.A classic example is water molecules solvating a metal ion....
'.






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A quantum solvent is essentially a superfluid
Superfluid

Superfluidity is a phase or description of heat capacity in which unusual effects are observed when liquids, typically of helium-4 or helium-3, overcome friction by surface interaction when at a stage at which the liquid's viscosity becomes zero....
 (aka a quantum liquid
Quantum hydrodynamics

Quantum hydrodynamics is more than the study of superfluidity. Some of the main subjects in quantum hydrodynamics are quantum turbulence, quantized vortices, first sound, second sound and third sound, and quantum solvents....
) used to dissolve
Solvation

Solvation, commonly called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute....
 another chemical species
Chemical species

Chemical species are atoms, molecules, molecular fragments, ions, etc., as entities being subjected to a chemical process or to a measurement. Generally, a chemical species can be defined as an ensemble of chemically identical molecular entity that can explore the same set of molecular energy levels on a characteristic or delineated time scal...
. Any superfluid can theoretically act as a quantum solvent, however in practice the only viable superfluid medium that can currently be used is helium-4
Helium

Helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert monatomic chemical element that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table and whose atomic number is 2....
, and it has been successfully accomplished in controlled conditions. Such solvents are currently under investigation for use in spectroscopic
Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength . In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g....
 techniques in the field of analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry

Analytical chemistry is the study of the chemical composition of natural and artificial materials. Unlike other major sub disciplines of chemistry such as inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry, analytical chemistry is not restricted to any particular type of chemical compound or chemical reaction....
, due to their superior kinetic properties.

Any matter dissolved (or otherwise suspended) in the superfluid will tend to aggregate together in clumps, encapsulated by a 'quantum solvation shell
Solvation shell

Solvation shell is a shell of any chemical species acting as a solvent, surrounding a solute species.A classic example is water molecules solvating a metal ion....
'. Due to the totally frictionless nature of the superfluid medium, the entire object then proceeds to act very much like a nanoscopic ball bearing, allowing effectively complete rotational freedom of the solvated chemical species
Chemical species

Chemical species are atoms, molecules, molecular fragments, ions, etc., as entities being subjected to a chemical process or to a measurement. Generally, a chemical species can be defined as an ensemble of chemically identical molecular entity that can explore the same set of molecular energy levels on a characteristic or delineated time scal...
. A quantum solvation shell consists of a region of non-superfluid helium-4 atoms that surround the molecule(s) and exhibit adiabatic following around the centre of gravity of the solute. As such, the kinetics of an effectively gaseous molecule can be studied without the need to use an actual gas (which can be impractical or impossible). It is necessary to make a small alteration to the rotational constant
Rotational spectroscopy

Rotational spectroscopy or microwave spectroscopy studies the Absorption and Emission electromagnetic radiation by molecules associated with a corresponding change in the Rigid rotor#Quantum mechanical rigid rotor quantum number of the molecule....
 of the chemical species being examined, in order to compensate for the higher mass entailed by the quantum solvation shell.

Quantum solvation has so far been achieved with a number of organic, inorganic and organometallic compounds, and it has been speculated that as well as the obvious use in the field of spectroscopy
Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength . In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g....
, quantum solvents could be used as tools in nanoscale chemical engineering, perhaps to manufacture components for use in nanotechnology
Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, shortened to "Nanotech", is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size....
.