title: Nanoscale tripodal 1,3,5,7-tetrasubstituted adamantanes for AFM applications.
abstract: The synthesis of four novel nanoscale 1,3,5,7-tetrasubstituted adamantanes 22 and 25-27 designed for atomic force microscopy (AFM) applications is described. Each tetrahedrally shaped molecule incorporates a broad tripodal base made up of three identical legs that terminate with a sulfur-containing moiety, which is either a 4-acetylsulfanylmethylphenyl unit or else a (1,2,5-dithiazepan-1-yl)phenyl unit. The sulfur atoms are intended for eventual binding of the molecule multivalently to the apex of a gold-coated commercial AFM tip through formation of multiple S-Au bonds. In each molecule, the fourth terminus is a para-substituted benzoic acid methyl ester that is designed to scan the sample. We demonstrate that 27 is sufficiently large and rigid to be imaged by a conventional AFM tip. Adamantanes 22 and 25-27 may also find application as chemically well-defined nanoscale objects for calibration of AFM tips.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1253, USA.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Aleksey V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Rukavishnikov
authors.forename: Pavel A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Petukhov
authors.forename: Tatiana O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Zaikova
authors.forename: Changshu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: John F W
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Keana
mesh_terms: D000218:Adamantane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D036103:Nanotechnology
chemical_list: D000218:Adamantane