According to Gizmodo, researchers have made the tiniest knot ever, which will go into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The knot is constructed of gold, carbon, and phosphorus and is made up of 54 atoms bonded together in a trefoil shape. It is a continuous loop without a loose end, according to the New Scientist.
The team’s publication in the journal Nature Communications describes the self-assembled “metallaknot.”
The formulaic description of the knot is [Au6{1,2-C6H4(OCH2CC)2}3{Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2}3], or simply Au6, referring to the six gold atoms within the knot.
However, how can the knot’s tightness at the molecular level be ascertained?
The knots are “classified according to the minimum number of crossings when the reduced form of the structure is projected,” per the team’s study.
The record set in 2020 by a team is broken by the newest, smallest, and tightest knot in history.
The backbone crossing ratio (BCR) of the 54-atom knot is 18, which is a considerable improvement over the previous record of 23 for the 69-atom knot.
The knot gets tighter as the BCR decreases. By a BCR margin of 7.3, the new knot is tighter than the BCR of the tightest biological trefoil knots.
The knot is getting closer to its theoretical maximum length, according to ScienceAlert. It was previously proposed that “at least 50” atoms should be present in the smallest trefoil knot.
Not just the latest achievement has earned a spot in the Guinness Book.
In 2019, a human knot with 123 participants was created.
In the meantime, a kindergarten class created the longest Chinese knot recorded in the Guinness Book, which measured more than 130 feet in height and 136 feet in diameter.
