Single molecule, one million times smaller than a grain of
sand, pictured for first time
By
Claire Bates
Last updated at 7:39 PM on 28th August 2009
It may look like a piece of honeycomb, but this
lattice-shaped image is the first ever close-up view of a single
molecule.
Scientists from IBM used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to
reveal the chemical bonds within a molecule.
'This is the first time that all the atoms in a molecule have
been imaged,' lead researcher Leo Gross said.
The delicate inner structure of a
pentacene molecule has been imaged with an atomic force
microscope
The researchers focused on a single molecule of pentacene,
which is commonly used in solar cells. The rectangular-shaped
organic molecule is made up of 22 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen
atoms.
In the image above the hexagonal shapes of the five carbon
rings are clear and even the positions of the hydrogen atoms
around the carbon rings can be seen.
To give some perspective, the space between the carbon rings
is only 0.14 nanometers across, which is roughly one million
times smaller than the diameter of a grain of sand.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1209726/Single-molecule-million-times-smaller-grain-sand-pictured-time.html#ixzz0Pgm3quOq
