Scientists Capture Detailed Image of Molecule

Technique could help improve electronics, drugs
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 28, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
Scientists Capture Detailed Image of Molecule
The delicate inner structure of a pentacene molecule imaged with an atomic force microscope.   (Image courtesy of IBM Research – Zurich)

In a scientific first, IBM researchers have produced a detailed image of a molecule’s structure, the BBC reports. The stunning image, made with an atomic force microscope that vibrates like a tuning fork, is so finely detailed that it shows chemical bonds. Such intricate familiarity with the molecule opens the possibility of creating electronics and drugs on the atomic and molecular scales, which IBM says could lead to smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient computer chips.
(More molecules stories.)

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