November
Picture of the Month - November 2023
Molecular surgery of the new molecule P3N3 by on-surface manipulation
On-surface synthesis at the single-molecule level by scanning probe manipulation has emerged as a powerful tool not only to visualize, but also to generate and couple highly reactive organic and inorganic molecules, which often are not accessible by traditional synthetic methods. Bond-Level imaging is achieved by atomic force microscopy at cryogenic temperature using CO-terminated tips. This method was further refined to the intramolecular level to create the structurally elusive cyclotriphosphazene (P3N3), an inorganic aromatic analogue of benzene. Preparation of this fleetingly existing species on a Cu(111) surface was achieved by precise "molecular surgery", based on STM tip-induced sextuple dechlorination of an ultra-small P3N3Cl6 precursor molecule. Real-space atomic-level imaging of P3N3 reveals its planar D3h-symmetric ring structure. Our work presents strategies for synthesizing elusive molecules as well as covalent nanoarchitectures, studying structural modifications and revealing pathways of on-surface reactions.
This picture was submitted by Prof. Dr. André Schirmeisen.
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