organic chemistry - Have the shapes of synthesized anthropomorphic molecules (nanoputians) been verified experimentally?

Have the shapes of synthesized anthropomorphic molecules (nanoputians) been verified experimentally?

X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy imaging of single molecules, anything?

I was tempted to use the title Has anyone ever seen a nanoputian?

Edit: The IBM video World's Smallest Movie is not of a molecule, but it does contain an anthropomorphic shape built from individual atoms, visualized at atomic resolution using scanning atomic force microscopy.

below x2: Simple illustration of AFM imaging of organic molecule shape. From here. For more recent experiments and videos, see 30 years of atomic force microscopy: IBM scientists trigger and observe Reactions in an individual molecule and also IBM & Warwick Image Highly Reactive Triangular Molecule for the First Time.

below: Lewis structure of a nanoputian; "Chemical structure of 2-(2,5-bis(3,3-dimethylbut-1-ynyl)-4-(2-(3,5-di(pent-1-ynyl)phenyl)ethynyl)phenyl)-1,3-dioxolane." From here.

below: Lewis structure of a nanoputian; "Ball-and-stick model of the nanoputian molecule, also known as nanokid, an synthetic compound whose molecules are human-shaped." From here.

Answer

I think to solve the question "seeing one of the nanoscholars, nanotexan, etc." in this particular conformation shown requests (at least) two steps:

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  The deposit of a single molecule on a clean, flat, and cold surface. From the outsider's perception of work done @IBM Zurich and other groups, preparing such a pad accommodating an organic molecule is something understood well; perhaps some adjustments in how the molecules are then deposited are needed. Are nanoputains as substance well sublimable, would be OMBE feasible?

  
  


• 
  

  The cold surface tightens the contact between molecule and substrate, lowers thermal vibrations of the molecule deposited; contributes that the then collected AFM is crisp. Provided the earlier mentioned conformational flexibility of the material (not necessary flat molecule, either), how do you -- if necessary -- decoil the members of a nanoputain? To move small molecules entirely, optical tweezers come to my mind, but here it were moving just a portion of a molecule representing a leg, redressing bow tie and hat that I assume as even more delicate.

  
  

So my speculation is the second part is the more challenging one. Maybe it was already addressed as the original work was published in 2003, a citation analysis may shed some light on this aspect.