Molecular images and vibrational spectroscopy of sorbic acid with the scanning tunneling microscope

Images of sorbic acid molecules absorbed onto graphite have been taken with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating in liquid helium. Molecular clusters were clearly observed, as was the atomic structure of the graphite substrate. The molecules were seen to diffuse across the substrate at a rate of about 1 Å/min. When dI/dV vs V was measured with the STM probe directly over a sorbic acid molecule, a well-defined spectrum of peaks was obtained whose energies corresponded to the vibrational resonances of the molecule. Large changes in the spectra occurred if the tip was moved a lateral distance of 5 Å.