Birmingham Scientists Witness the Birth of an Atom
`Scientists from the University of Birmingham’s Nanoscale Science Facility have made a breakthrough in manipulating the smallest single molecules and atoms by devising a new technique of molecular dissection which induces the “birth” of a daughter atom from the parent molecule. [..]
The new method, devised by Professor Richard Palmer and Dr Peter Sloan, uses the tip of a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope (STM) to inject two electrons into the parent chlorobenzine molecule to induce a dissociation event – the first electron sets the molecule into vibration and the second electron breaks the bond between the parent molecule and daughter chlorine atom.’
