Chemistry Based on the Fact That Our

Chemistry

Based on the fact that our class focuses on atoms, atomic structure, chemical bonds, nuclear chemistry (radioactivity, nuclear equation, half life, radio isotopes, artificial transmutation, etc.), this article review aims to provide a summary of a related story named "IBM Scientists First to Image the 'Anatomy' of a Molecule; Imaging Individual Atoms Within A Molecule Has Been A Long-standing Goal of Surface Microscopy" by the IBM press team in the August 28, 2008, M2PressWIRE; Vol. 92, No. 1. The main hypothesis for the article was to provide insights into the fact that "scientists have now been able to image the 'anatomy' -- or chemical structure -- inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy." (IBM)

The reason that this breakthrough is so critical to the science world is because of its affects on the nanotechnology industry. "The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could greatly impact the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to understand and control some of the smallest objects know to mankind." (IBM) The scientists at IBM compared the new technology to an X-ray. Even non-chemistry majors are aware of what X-rays do, they take pictures of the internal bone structure of the human body. When X-rays first became available, they literally changed how the medical community approached bone breaks and internal damage. X-Rays are now indispensible to the healthcare community even as new technologies such as MRI's try to move in on their turf. They are a mainstay in the effort to maintain health.

This new atomic force microscope technology will do the same thing for how scientists and chemists see the atomic structure of individual molecules. "Furthermore, the scientists were able to derive a complete three-dimensional force map of the molecule investigated. To obtain a complete force map the microscope needed to be highly stable, both mechanically and thermally, to ensure that both the tip of the AFM and the molecule remained unaltered during the more than 20 hours of data acquisition." (IBM)

This is a key discovery because the atomic structure that is now available to all scientists can be considered to be the backbone of the atomic world. "Scanning probe techniques offer amazing potential for prototyping complex functional structures and for tailoring and studying their electronic and chemical properties on the atomic scale." (IBM)

The remarkable thing about this advance is that it comes just a few months after another astonishing discovery. "The team's current publication follows on the heels of another experiment published just two months ago in the June 12 issue of Science (Volume 324, Issue 5933, pp. 1428-1431) where IBM scientists measured the charge states of atoms using an AFM. These breakthroughs will open new possibilities for investigating how charge transmits through molecules or molecular networks." (IBM) Most people in the world will not have a clue what this combination of discoveries entail. What it translates into is completely new nanotechnology.