Monday, July 28, 2008
Scientists in Japan have created what may be the World's smallest scissor in the world-molecular clippers that are closed and opened with light.
Researchers said that these novel shears could help in controlling the proteins, genes and other molecules in the body.
These scissors are 3 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, long, which makes them 100 times smaller than a wavelength of violet light.
The researcher Takuzo Aida at the University of Tokyo and his colleagues team presented their molecular device at the American Chemical Society annual meeting in Chicago. The molecular device consists of a pivot, handles and blades. The blades are made of phenyl groups i.e. rings of carbon and hydrogen.
The pivot is a molecule dubbed chiral ferrocene, which sandwiches a round iron atom between two carbon plates. The carbon plates can rotate liberally around the iron atom.
The handles are organic chemical structures dubbed phenylene groups. These are tethered together with azobenzene, a molecule that reacts to light. Shining visible light on the scissors makes the azobenzene expand and drive the handles apart, closing the clipper blades. Shining ultraviolet rays on the shears has the opposite effect.
The researchers say their scissors could help firmly grasp molecules like pincers and manipulate them, say by twisting them back and forth.
Aida said that "This work is the first example where a molecular machine mechanically manipulates other molecules by light" Also added that "This work is an important step for the future development of molecular robotics."
Researchers said that these novel shears could help in controlling the proteins, genes and other molecules in the body.
These scissors are 3 nanometers, or billionths of a meter, long, which makes them 100 times smaller than a wavelength of violet light.
The researcher Takuzo Aida at the University of Tokyo and his colleagues team presented their molecular device at the American Chemical Society annual meeting in Chicago. The molecular device consists of a pivot, handles and blades. The blades are made of phenyl groups i.e. rings of carbon and hydrogen.
The pivot is a molecule dubbed chiral ferrocene, which sandwiches a round iron atom between two carbon plates. The carbon plates can rotate liberally around the iron atom.
The handles are organic chemical structures dubbed phenylene groups. These are tethered together with azobenzene, a molecule that reacts to light. Shining visible light on the scissors makes the azobenzene expand and drive the handles apart, closing the clipper blades. Shining ultraviolet rays on the shears has the opposite effect.
The researchers say their scissors could help firmly grasp molecules like pincers and manipulate them, say by twisting them back and forth.
Aida said that "This work is the first example where a molecular machine mechanically manipulates other molecules by light" Also added that "This work is an important step for the future development of molecular robotics."
posted by kanth
@ 9:40 PM
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