if we could see atoms and went to touch what we thought was the surface of the atom(the nucleus in fact)...i think it would be like reaching through a fan blade that's moving but you can't see it.the electron is moving around it in a "shell fashion" at lightspeed.let's say that we knew the exact shape of a giant water molecule...couldn't we cut the shape of the molecule into an object we intend to push the water through without cutting out the shape of the oxygen molucule that's attached...thereby freeing the hydrogen?