Seeing is believing

Every chemist is familiar with structural drawings of atoms and bonds in textbooks but sometimes it can be difficult to translate those drawings into reality. But what if the drawings were replaced by photographs of molecules showing their real atoms and bonds? Excitingly, scientists have moved a step closer to such photographs with a technique called non-contact atomic force microscopy (ncAFM). The images captured by ncAFM add another dimension to how we learn about bonding in chemical compounds.

Elinor Hughes discusses the technique, its set backs and challenges and the potential future of imaging molecules. She speaks to two scientists who have used ncAFM, to gain further insights.