Thursday, August 27, 2009
First Complete Image of a Molecule, Atom by Atom
Researchers at IBM have used an atomic-force microscope to resolve the chemical structure of pentacene.
By Katherine Bourzac
This image of pentacene, a molecule made up of five carbon rings, was made using an atomic-force microscope. Credit: Science/AAAS |
Using an atomic-force microscope, scientists at IBM Research in Zurich have
for the first time made an atomic-scale resolution image of a single molecule,
the hydrocarbon pentacene.
Atomic-force microscopy works by scanning a surface with a tiny cantilever
whose tip comes to a sharp nanoscale point. As it scans, the cantilever bounces
up and down, and data from these movements is compiled to generate a picture of
that surface. These microscopes can be used to "see" features much
smaller than those visible under light microscopes, whose resolution is limited
by the properties of light itself. Atomic-force microscopy literally has
atom-scale resolution.
Still, until now, it hasn't been possible to use it to look with atomic
resolution at single molecules. On such a scale, the electrical properties of
the molecule under investigation normally interfere with the activity of the
scanning tip. Researchers at IBM Research in Zurich overcame this problem by first using
the microscope tip to pick up a single molecule of carbon monoxide. This
drastically improved the resolution of the microscope, which the IBM scientists
used to make an image of pentacene. They arrived at carbon monoxide as a
contrast-enhancing addition after trying many chemicals.
The researchers hope that looking this closely at single molecules will give
them a better understanding of chemical reactions and catalysis at an
unprecedented level of detail.
The imaging work is described today in the journal Science.
Comments
TooMany
08/29/2009
Posts:47
The atom's RQT (relative quantum topological) data point imaging function is built by combination of the relativistic Einstein-Lorenz transform functions for time, mass, and energy with the workon quantized electromagnetic wave equations for frequency and wavelength. The atom labeled psi (Z) pulsates at the frequency {Nhu=e/h} by cycles of {e=m(c^2)} transformation of nuclear surface mass to forcons with joule values, followed by nuclear force absorption. This radiation process is limited only by spacetime boundaries of {Gravity-Time}, where gravity is the force binding space to psi, forming the GT integral atomic wavefunction. The expression is defined as the series expansion differential of nuclear output rates with quantum symmetry numbers assigned along the progression to give topology to the solutions.
Next, the correlation function for the manifold of internal heat capacity particle 3D functions condensed due to radial force dilution is extracted; by rearranging the total internal momentum function to the photon gain rule and integrating it for GT limits. This produces a series of 26 topological waveparticle functions of five classes; {+Positron, Workon, Thermon, -Electromagneton, Magnemedon}, each the 3D data image of a type of energy intermedon of the 5/2 kT J internal energy cloud, accounting for all of them.
Those values intersect the sizes of the fundamental physical constants: h, h-bar, delta, nuclear magneton, beta magneton, k (series). They quantize nuclear dynamics by acting as fulcrum particles. The result is the picoyoctometric, 3D, interactive video atomic model data imaging function, responsive to keyboard input of virtual photon gain events by relativistic, quantized shifts of electron, force, and energy field states and positions.
A versatile infotool for molecular or material imaging advencement is found, since the RQT method will refine AFM tip design and control by microyoctoscale magnetic field topological physics specifications with the full set of energy and force field parameters needed.
Images of the h-bar magnetic energy waveparticle of ~175 picoyoctometers are available online at http://www.symmecon.com with the complete RQT atomic modeling guide titled The Crystalon Door, copyright TXu1-266-788. TCD conforms to the unopposed motion of disclosure in U.S. District (NM) Court of 04/02/2001 titled The Solution to the Equation of Schrodinger.
(C) 2009, Dale B. Ritter, B.A.
symmecon
09/23/2009
Posts:2