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Chemists have developed the tightest knot, at the level of molecules, establishing a new record.
STATES CHRONICLE – Chemists have established a world record when developing the tightest knot that has ever existed, build out of molecules. This was categorized as being one of the weirdest world records in science. A group of chemists has created a minuscule circular triple helix visible only under the microscope. Scientists in Manchester, UK developed the tightest knot by using a strand of atoms which forms a triple loop, crossing itself eight times.
The stand of atoms is made out of 192 atoms which are linked in a chain. This knot is approximately 200,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. The development of such an idea was meant to prove the accurate control with which researchers manage to manipulate objects so minuscule. Now that scientists revealed how they could weave by using strands of atoms, they may soon be able to create new materials.
David Leigh, who is a professor of chemistry at the University of Manchester, argued that they have uncovered how hard must have been for people living in the stone age to try weaving and knotting. This technology had immediately boosted tool industry, manufacturing clothes and even food industry, due to fishing nets. Chemists hope that the same kind of boost will soon appear after this invention, being able to build molecular strands.
The tightness of a knot is given by the distance which seems when the strings cross each other. For the tightest and tiniest knot in the world, every crossing point is located at about 24 atoms apart. This means that the knot is extremely tight. Leigh claims that creating these molecular knots has become a sort of passion for him. The newly developed knot beats the record which his team set about four years ago.
They had developed a pentafoil knot made up of 160 atoms. That knot had also surpassed the record previously established by another one which was known as a trefoil knot. That one had three crossing points. Leigh noted that mathematicians are familiar with different sorts of knots and probably science is bound to advance in such a way that evolution of molecular knots will reach a different level.
This new knot was developed with the help of Leigh’s research associate named Jonathan Danon and other scientists. The knot is a structure which contains strands of oxygen, carbon and nitrogen atoms.
Image source: wikipedia
