Credit: Lukas Vlcek, Hsiu-Wen Wang and Adam Malin/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Two neutron diffraction experiments (represented by pink and blue neutron beams) probed a salty solution to reveal its atomic structure. The only difference between the experiments was the identity of the oxygen isotope (O*) that labeled nitrate molecules (NO3-)—either 16O or 18O. The solution also contained potassium ions (K+) dissolved in heavy water (D2O).