Hydrogen Bonds Visualized For First Time

Chinese scientists have visualized hydrogen bonds through modified non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the first time.

Asian Scientist (Dec. 5, 2013) – Chinese scientists have visualized hydrogen bonds through modified non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the first time, reports the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Hydrogen bonds are fundamental to the most important molecules in nature and are responsible for holding the two strands of DNA’s double helix together, for example.

Although study of hydrogen bonds began in the 1850’s, scientists had not been able to visualize them until now.

A group of scientists with the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) developed the new technology which allowed scientists to accurately analyze the structure of hydrogen bonds.

“As an analogy, we have seen people on the ground standing in line from space before, but now we see them hand in hand for the first time,” Qiu Xiaohui, one of the group’s scientists, told Xinhua, adding that the discovery has broad application prospects in the study of intermolecular interactions.

Qiu says accurate measurement of hydrogen bonds not only helps in understanding the bonds’ interactions, but also has great significance in materials science and pharmaceutical development.

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Source: Xinhua; Image: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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