Rejuvenating gas-phase electron diffraction

For close to seven decades gas-phase electron diffraction has remained an important tool for the determination of molecular structure. Its continuing relevance stems from two sources. One is that certain information is attainable only by this technique. The other is that combining it with other techniques has expanded its applicability. Some recent examples are shown for illustration from the Budapest Laboratory. They include the temperature-dependence of the NO2 structure, the Jahn-Teller effect in the free MnF3 molecule, large-amplitude motion in p-diethynylbenzene, and the geometrical consequences of intramolecular hydrogen bond formation.