Fluff from the naval of my mind

We are all familiar with the diagrams and models of molecules proudly displayed by chemists, but now scientists working for IBM have, for the first time, imaged a molecule of pentacene.

The classic model of pentacene looks like this.

IBM used an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to produce the following image.

What, you may ask, is an atomic force microscope?

Take one very sharp probe, move it to within a nanometre of the molecule to be imaged that you have previous bound to a metal surface for stability, move the needle over the sample and read the corresponding atomic forces exerted between the atom at the tip of your probe and the sample. Simple.

Of course, you do have the problem that the molecule you are examining may be pulled into the tip of your probe by electrostatic force. To avoid this the IBM team placed a single molecule of carbon monoxide at the tip of the probe. This CO molecule was found to produce less electrostatic force than the metal of the probe and allowed the probe to approach close enough to the molecule of pentacene without drawing it in to the probe. The resulting setup is shown in the following illustration.