If you’re looking for a liquid to study with neutron scattering, lemon liqueur probably isn’t your first thought. But, for Dr. Leonardo Chiappisi, a researcher at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL, France) and the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), it was an obvious choice. “I’m originally from Sicily,” he jokes, “and limoncello is the best thing to help liven up a dinner.”
Limoncello, a cloudy neon-yellow liqueur, is common across southern Italy. People often make it themselves by leaving lemon zest to mature in alcohol for several weeks. It’s also a personal favourite of Dr. Chiappisi and the inspiration for a paper that he hopes will help develop new speciality chemicals – especially eco-friendly products using citrus oils.
Limoncello is among a group of liqueurs that experience the so-called “ouzo effect”, named after ouzo, an anise-flavoured aperitif. Ouzo is normally a clear liqueur, but it turns milky and opaque when water is added, and can stay like that for a long time.
About ILL
The Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) is an international research organisation that is a world leader in Neutron Science. Since its foundation in 1967, the Institute is a shining example of scientific cooperation. Presently 10 European countries (Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia) ensure the necessary financial support for the ILL operation under the governance of 3 Associate Member countries: France, Germany and The United Kingdom. The research conducted at the ILL is dedicated to fundamental research (60%) as well as societal challenges research (40%). It covers a wide range of disciplines such as biology, (green) chemistry, materials science, condensed matter physics, as well as nuclear and particle physics.
