First Picture of a Molecule Taken

Researchers at IBM have developed an ingenious method for taking a snapshot of a molecule.  For the first time we can verify that scientific diagrams of molecules are in fact exactly as they are in the natural world.  Using an atomic force microscope (AFM), scientists have successfully taken a snapshot of the chemical bonds holding atoms together in a molecule.

The molecule in question is pentacene, a very uniform structure that is easily mapped.  It is composed of 22 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms.  The carbon atoms make up the rings, and the hydrogen atoms jut out of the rings similar to hairs.

It is important to keep in mind the scale of this molecule.  The diameter of one of those carbon rings is only .14 nanometers, or .000000014 meters.  This is roughly one millionth of the diameter of a single grain of sand. 

The method used for taking the picture is incredibly brilliant. 

'If you think about how a doctor uses an X-ray to image bones and organs inside the human body, we are using the atomic force microscope to image the atomic structures that are the backbones of individual molecules,' said IBM researcher Gerhard Meyer.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

The IBM scientists, Nikolaj Moll, Reto Schlittler, Gerhard Meyer, Fabian Mohn and Leo Gross, also had to overcome numerous obstacles, not least of which was the temperature at which the photo had to be taken.  In order for the process to work, the temperature had to be -268C, which is only 5 degrees above absolute zero.  While these temperatures have been achieved numerous times in the past, running experiments in them is no small feat.  If the temperature is too high, there may be atomic vibrations which can blur the still.

While this is an incredible moment in physics, many may ask why we would need such a thing?  Where is the practical application?  The options are, in fact, quite endless, especially in the micro-computer age.  So, what is the next step?

'Eventually we want to investigate using molecules for molecular electronics,' Mr Gross said.

'We want to use molecules as wires or logic switches or elements.'

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk