Molecular Recognition by Porphyrin Nanorings - in Water, in the Gas Phase and on Surfaces

The chemist's dream has long been to look at molecules, not just to see their shape, but to better understand behaviour derived from charge and other electronic properties. Optical microscopy is restricted to the visible light wavelength in the 400 - 700 nm range, and typical bond lengths of 0.1 nm. But the invention of scanning probe microscopy…