How Can You See an Atom? - Legends of Chemistry

Reactions Science Videos | April 9, 2015

Since ancient Greek times, philosophers and scientists have tried to figure out what an atom looks like. For a couple thousand years, humans could only speculate on the structure and other properties of the smallest unit of matter. It wasn't until the 1980s that chemists could see individual atoms. Bestselling author Sam Kean takes us through the nearly 2,400-year quest to see the atom in a new episode of our "Legends of Chemistry" series.