Scientists have managed to time an electron jumping from one atom to another, in a breakthrough that could have massive implications for the development of catalytic reactors.

A team of researchers at the University of Hamburg in Germany, led by physicist Wilfried Wurth, managed to time an electron moving away from a sulphur atom stuck to a ruthenium metal surface.

It took just 320 quintillionths of a second for the atom to make the jump, the team found, and the knowledge looks likely to improve the development of catalysts, due to the fact that movement of electrons underpins all chemical reactions.

Using very short X-ray pulses, the researchers were able to watch the electron's movement, and the speed recorded confirmed common theories of electron movement.

Peter Knight, of Imperial College London, explained that the technique is an important development because computer simulations are used to predict how catalysts will behave, meaning that measurements of electron motion will enable these models to be more accurate.