Deoxyribonucleic acid structures visualized by scanning tunneling microscopy

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Abstract
The capability of the scanning tunneling microscope(STM) to produce atomic‐resolution images makes it a powerful tool in both basic and applied science. The main application of STM has been for the analysis of structural features and electronic properties of a wide spectrum of metals and semiconductors, while only a few biological items have been investigated. With a STM operating in air at ambient pressure, we present images showing the molecular structure of naked DNA. High‐resolution topographic images of linear DNA fragments reveal structures with a periodicity of ∼38±6 Å and a width of 28±4 Å, consistent with the molecular dimensions of the helical repeat of double‐stranded DNA. In addition, the supreme resolving power of the STM permits visualization of the major and minor grooves.

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