A scanning tunnelling microscope has been used to image multistep chemical reactions at a solid/liquid interface with single-molecule resolution. On reacting Mn(III) porphyrins with either O2 or a single oxygen donor, at least four distinct reaction intermediates and products were detected and their interconversion could be observed in real space and real time.
- Duncan den Boer
- Min Li
- Johannes A. A. W. Elemans
