Back in 2009, at the IBM Research lab scientists imaged, for the first time, the chemical structure of an individual molecule (pentacene) with unprecedented resolution, using technique they developed called noncontact atomic force microscopy. The same IBM team, has once again come up with an interesting image. This time they have imaged a new organic molecule, Olympicene.
Olympicene, gets its name because its five linked rings resemble the Olympic symbol. The compound is a powder, that is very sensitive to light. In fact, even with brief exposure it changes color. It is only 1.2 nanometers wide, or 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. This AFM technique could become a real structure-determination tool for organic chemist.
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