  Highly conductive molecular junctions were formed by direct binding of
benzene molecules between two Pt electrodes. Measurements of conductance,
isotopic shift in inelastic spectroscopy and shot noise compared with
calculations provide indications for a stable molecular junction where the
benzene molecule is preserved intact and bonded to the Pt leads via carbon
atoms. The junction has a conductance comparable to that for metallic atomic
junctions (around 0.1-1 Go), where the conductance and the number of
transmission channels are controlled by the molecule's orientation at different
inter-electrode distances.
