Miniature keypad locking

A team of scientists at the

has created a molecule that can function as an ultra-miniaturised version of a keypad locking mechanism.

Keypad locks, such as those for preventing car theft, allow an action to take place only when the right password is entered via a series of numbers punched in a pre-set sequence. Now, a team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has created a molecule that can function as an ultra-miniaturised version of a keypad locking mechanism.

The molecule, synthesised in the lab of Prof. Abraham Shanzer of the Organic Chemistry Department, is composed of two smaller linked fluorescent probes separated by a molecular chain to which iron can bind. One of these probes can shine bright fluorescent blue and the other fluorescent green, but only if the surrounding conditions are right. These conditions are the keypad inputs. Rather than the electric pulses of an electronic keypad, they consist of iron ions, acids, bases, and ultraviolet light.