Prev. Article Next Article Table of Contents

Article

Investigating Intermolecular Interactions via Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. An Experiment for the Physical Chemistry Laboratory

Your current credentials do not allow retrieval of the full text.

Purchase the full-text

PDF/HTML,
figures/images,
references and tables,
(where available)

David Pullman and Karen I. Peterson

Department of Chemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1030

J. Chem. Educ., 2004, 81 (4), p 549

DOI: 10.1021/ed081p549

Publication Date (Web): April 1, 2004

Section:

History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

A laboratory experiment is presented that uses a scanning tunneling microscope to probe intermolecular interactions. In the first part of the project, the students produce and analyze images of graphite and use these images to calibrate the scan size of the instrument. In the second part, the students produce images of a decanol monolayer on the graphite surface. These images are analyzed by drawing reasonable monolayer structures where the decanols are spaced according to the dimensions found in the images. These structures are discussed in terms of intermolecular bonding and van der Waals radii.

Keywords (Audience):

Second-Year Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Physical Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Hands-On Learning / Manipulatives

Keywords (Subject):

Noncovalent Interactions

View: Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links

Citing Articles

View all 2 citing articles

Citation data is made available by participants in CrossRef's Cited-by Linking service. For a more comprehensive list of citations to this article, users are encouraged to perform a search in SciFinder.

This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).

Atomic Force Microscopy: Opening the Teaching Laboratory to the Nanoworld
Ron Blonder, Ernesto Joselevich, Sidney R. Cohen
Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (12), 1290-1293
- Atomic Force Microscopy: Opening the Teaching Laboratory to the Nanoworld
  Ron Blonder, Ernesto Joselevich, Sidney R. Cohen
  Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (12), 1290-1293
  The atomic force microscope (AFM), first demonstrated in 1986, quickly became the workhorse of nanoscience, providing nanometer-scale imaging, local mechanical and electronic probing, and manipulation. The extensive use of AFM in research triggered ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links
Preparation of Chemically Etched Tips for Ambient Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Margot J. Zaccardi, Kurt Winkelmann and Joel A. Olson
Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (3), 308-310
- Preparation of Chemically Etched Tips for Ambient Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
  Margot J. Zaccardi, Kurt Winkelmann and Joel A. Olson
  Journal of Chemical Education2010 87 (3), 308-310
  A first-year laboratory experiment that utilizes concepts of electrochemical tip etching for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is described. This experiment can be used in conjunction with any STM experiment. Students electrochemically etch gold STM ...
  Abstract | Full Text HTML | Hi-Res PDF | PDF w/ Links