Vibrational spectra for a single molecule adsorbed on a solid surface have been obtained with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Inelastic electron tunneling spectra for an isolated acetylene (C2H2) molecule adsorbed on the copper (100) surface showed an increase in the tunneling conductance at 358 millivolts, resulting from excitation of the C-H stretch mode. An isotopic shift to 266 millivolts was observed for deuterated acetylene (C2D2). Vibrational microscopy from spatial imaging of the inelastic tunneling channels yielded additional data to further distinguish and characterize the two isotopes. Single-molecule vibrational analysis should lead to better understanding and control of surface chemistry at the atomic level.

Tunneling electrons from a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) were used to excite photon emission from individual porphyrin molecules adsorbed on an ultrathin alumina film grown on a NiAl(110) surface. Vibrational features were observed in the light-emission spectra that depended sensitively on the different molecular conformations and corresponding electronic states obtained by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The high spatial resolution of the STM enabled the demonstration of variations in light-emission spectra from different parts of the molecule. These experiments realize the feasibility of fluorescence spectroscopy with the STM and enable the integration of optical spectroscopy with a nanoprobe for the investigation of single molecules.

The tunneling current from a scanning tunneling microscope was used to image and dissociate single O 2 molecules on the Pt(111) surface in the temperature range of 40 to 150 K. After dissociation, the two oxygen atoms are found one to three lattice constants apart. The dissociation rate as a function of current was found to vary as I 0.860.2 , I 1.860.2 , and I 2.960.3 for sample biases of 0.4, 0.3, and 0.2 V, respectively. These rates are explained using a general model for dissociation induced by intramolecular vibrational excitations via resonant inelastic electron tunneling. [S0031-9007(97)

The ability to probe individual atoms and molecules have made it possible to reveal properties which otherwise would be hidden in the study of an ensemble of atoms and molecules. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with its unmatched spatial resolution and versatility literally allows us to touch atoms and molecules one at a time and to carry out experiments which previously were only imagined. One of the great attributes of the STM is that it provides a real space view of the individual molecules and the atomic landscape of their environment, thus removing many of the uncertainties surrounding the nature of the system under study. Combining its imaging, manipulation, spectroscopic characterization, and chemical modification capabilities, the STM has enabled direct visualization of chemistry by revealing the fundamental properties of atoms and molecules and their interactions with each other and the environment. While femtosecond lasers have made it possible to study chemistry at the temporal limit, the STM provides an understanding of chemistry at the spatial limit.

The ability of a scanning tunneling microscope to manipulate single atoms is used to build well-defined gold chains on NiAl(110). The electronic properties of the one-dimensional chains are dominated by an unoccupied electron band, gradually developing from a single atomic orbital present in a gold atom. Spatially resolved conductance measurements along a 20-atom chain provide the dispersion relation, effective mass, and density of states of the free electron-like band. These experiments demonstrate a strategy for probing the interrelation between geometric structure, elemental composition, and electronic properties in metallic nanostructures.