A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) can remove the central lead atom from an individual lead-phthalocyanine molecule by transferring it to the instrument’s atomically sharp tip. The 2011 experiment demonstrated precise molecular manipulation on a surface—not a practical data-storage device or a general-purpose way to reconfigure any complex.
What “metallic pick and mix” means
Phthalocyanines are ring-shaped molecules made from alternating carbon and nitrogen atoms. A metal atom can sit in the ring’s center, and changing that atom can change the molecule’s chemical and electronic properties. The “pick and mix” idea is to remove one central metal and, in related work, insert another.
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The phrase appeared in Mike Brown’s 5 July 2011 Chemistry World report. Its subject was a pair of surface-science demonstrations using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, not a consumer technology. The compounds’ vivid colors and possible roles in sensors or data storage provide context, but those possibilities were not shown as working products.
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How the STM removed the lead atom
Set up a molecule on a surface
In the demetalation study, individual lead-phthalocyanine molecules were adsorbed on ultrathin lead islands on a silver (Ag(111)) surface. An STM uses a conductive, atomically sharp metal tip positioned extremely close to a surface. A voltage between the tip and the surface produces a tunneling current, which can be used to image the surface and, under controlled conditions, manipulate atoms or molecules.
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Transfer the central atom to the tip
The researchers brought the STM tip to a molecule and used it to extract the central lead atom. In the reported mechanism, the lead atom was more weakly bound to the molecule’s four nitrogen atoms than to the tip. Withdrawing the tip therefore transferred the atom from the molecular center to the tip, leaving a demetalated molecule behind.
Check what changed
The researchers distinguished the starting molecules from the products using STM images and spectroscopic fingerprints. This evidence identified a molecular transformation at the surface; it did not establish that the molecules could be assembled into a functioning storage system.
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How the related metal-insertion work fits
A separate 2011 study by Alexander Sperl, Jörg Kröger, and Rolf Berndt reported the complementary operation: controlled metalation of adsorbed H2Pc molecules to form AgPc. Its abstract describes stepwise dehydrogenation followed by implantation of a silver ion (Ag+) using low-temperature STM.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Together, the reports show two specific operations in specialized surface experiments: removing lead from lead-phthalocyanine and introducing silver into adsorbed phthalocyanine. They do not show that every metal can be swapped into every complex, or that insertion and removal are interchangeable procedures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2011 work does—and does not—establish
- Established: Researchers could manipulate individual molecules in a carefully controlled surface-science setup and identify the resulting products through imaging and spectroscopy.
- Not established: A general method for changing metal centers across complexes, a practical manufacturing process, or a commercially available molecular data-storage device.
- Why the distinction matters: The experiment took place on a supported molecular layer with specialized equipment. A result at that scale is a demonstration of control over a molecular unit, not proof of a complete sensor or storage product.
Davide Bonifazi, an expert on supramolecular chemistry at interfaces using STM, called it “one of the first examples of a truly interfaced organised system in which the local molecular properties of each unit can be remotely controlled by an external action,” as quoted in the 2011 report. Sperl described the combined removal and insertion work as a “tool box” for tuning molecules directly on a surface. Those statements capture the researchers’ view of the scientific direction at the time; they are not evidence of a present-day commercial capability.
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The papers behind the demonstrations
- The demetalation study appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, volume 133, issue 29, pages 11007–11009 (2011).
- The metalation study appeared in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, volume 50, pages 5294–5297 (2011).
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