Figuring out how to precisely control incredibly small shapes of molecules is an important step toward creating new synthetic materials. The better we can manipulate tiny molecular chains, the more accurate our man-made creations can become. That's why a nanoscale wrench invented by a University of Vermont chemist is so important.
Chemist Severin Schneebeli and his team cobbled together their wrench using molecules that only fit together in one particular way thanks to what's called "chirality," a fancy term for when things are identical but also mirror images, like your left and right hand.
Typically molecules can have several different orientations, making it difficult to predict and use any particular configuration. Not so with Schneebeli's invention. These C-shaped strips only come in one geometric orientation because of their chirality. Thanks to their shape, they can be used to fit around rings of other chemicals much like a normal wrench might fit around a bolt. Just at a scale that's 100,000 times smaller than a human hair. It looks a little something like this.
As the video above shows, the computer model of the wrench molecule structure is rather stable when it embraces the ring it wants to affect. But instead of physically turning the nanowrench, technicians would tweak the nanowrench's chemical makeup. This in turn can change how the ring inside behaves.
This could ultimately lead to better, stronger materials and polymers created by carefully tweaking with the nanoscale wrench. It's all about having the right tools for the job.